The Lumen Legacy
by The Feline
Summary: Felicity Lumen was a very curious girl, and her life takes a new turn when the arrival of Harry James Potter and Hayden Orion Howel, two fledglings that recently enroll into Hogwarts. They bring an abundant amount of trouble with them, and where there's trouble, there's the Weasley twins as well. As she moves towards graduation, she'll learn secrets she never thought were possible.
1. Prologue

**September 1****st****, 1989...**

_"__**Mason Arkwright!**__"_

_At the sound of his name leaving the stern-looking professor's lips, her voice booming through the silent crowd easily, I watched as the brunet boy with earthy eyes I had met on the __**Hogwarts Express**__ earlier made his way towards the stool beside the woman instructor. He sat down, scanning quietly over the heads of the rest of the first-years until his gaze, brown with green and golden flecks, met mine, an icy blue hue that could freeze an eternal fire by a single glance. He smiled sweetly to me, which I returned with a little wave, as the professor dropped a dusty, ragged, patched-up old hat on the top of his dark-oak hair._

_Silence filled the room, suffocating the whispers of the upperclassmen behind me. I chewed on my lip anxiously as the old hat's ribbons started to move, stretching out like a person's arms. I noticed the shape of a face take form as a few of the creases deepened, revealing a mouth and pair of eye sockets._

_"__**Oh, my gosh...**__" Sapphira, a blond with mossy-green eyes that I had met at Madam Milkin's shop then again on the __**Hogwarts Express**__, whispered breathlessly beside me. Her hand found mine, lacing our fingers together, and squeezed it._

_"__It's okay," I told her calmly, squeezing her hand back as I tucked a loose strand of brunette hair behind my ear. "Alistair told us a bit about the Sorting Hat before we got here, remember? It's just going to look over your memories and personality to decide which House you belong in. It won't hurt you."_

_"__Oh, I know __**that,**__" she replied, glancing at me briefly before her eyes snapped back towards Mason. Her pink lips frowned deeply as she peered at the boy and the Hat, "I just don't want dust to get in my hair! Have you __**seen**__ that raggedy thing?"_

_I stared at her for a long moment before I shook my head. My shoulders bobbed with stifled laughter as I bit down on my lower lip to stifle my giggles. "You're ridiculous."_

_"__No, I'm no—"_

_"__**Gryffindor!**__" the Hat boomed suddenly, echoing over everyone and bringing their conversations to an abrupt halt, causing the House table to burst into thunderous roars of excitement._

_Mason's face broke out into a broad grin as the professor took the Sorting Hat off his head. He hopped down the single step, being congratulated by his peers as he wriggled himself over to the two of us. He placed a hand on my shoulder then the other on Sapphira's, "Good luck, girls."_

_"__Thanks," I grinned proudly at him. "Congrats."_

_"__Congrats!" Sapphira squealed happily._

_He nodded his thanks as he weaseled through the crowd of first-years and made his way over to the long table filled by students wearing red and golden ties. A Gryffindor banner hung high above their heads, a lion standing on its hind legs with its sharp teeth bared._

_I watched as he sat down beside his older brother, Alistair, who slapped Mason on the back proudly. He beamed over the fact that his younger brother was in the same House as him now._

_As Mason chattered away with the boys and girls around them, Alistair's sandy blond head looked up towards the first-years. His eyes were the same scheme as Mason's, resembling the earth, but it was flipped; his irises were green with flecks of brown and gold, which sparkled when they found me. He grinned at me and winked, earning a smirk from me as I turned back towards the stern-looking professor, who had been rattling off a few other names._

_"__**Sapphira Crane!**__" Professor McGonagall's voice called._

_Sapphira squeezed my hand even tighter, cowering closer to me._

_I wrapped my arms around her shoulders, "C'mon, Saph. You can do it."_

_Her fearful eyes looked up at me for a moment before she nodded tightly, like a doll on strings, and made her way towards the stool. She sat down on the stool, and her eyes instantly found mine. I smiled at her when she flinched, giving out an audible squeak of surprise, as the professor dropped the Hat on her blond head._

_Her owlish eyes never left mine for a moment as the Hat contemplated over which House to place her in. Her lips moved as she spoke in a low whisper, and I was just able to read what she was saying, "__**Not Slytherin... Anything but Slytherin... Please, not Slytherin...**__"_

_My eyes looked towards the Sorting Hat, who's creases moved as through he were raising a curious eyebrow at her. His folds shifted just like a pair of lips, "__**Not Slytherin? Why not, dear? You'd make a wonderful one. Oh, yes, you have the ambition and cunning personality for it**__. __**Your pure-blood status will also give you no trouble.**__"_

_Sapphira physically tensed as she listened to the old Hat's words._

_"__Well, I suppose if you're truly that against being in Slytherin then..." I watched as the Hat thought the possibilities over for a few moments,"__**Ravenclaw!**__" _

_She looked like she was about to faint from happiness and relief as McGonagall took the Hat off her head. Sapphira mustered up all the energy she had and ran over to me, ignoring the cheers from Ravenclaw and the other first-years as she lunged herself into my arms._

_Her eyes sparkled with happy tears as her lips spread in a wide grin, "Not Slytherin! I'm __**not**__ a Slytherin!"_

_I smiled down at her, petting her head softly, "I told you that you weren't mean enough to be a Slytherin."_

_After one more bone-crushing squeeze from the blond, Sapphira scampered over to the table with a blue and bronze banner above it, displaying a black eagle as the animal of wisdom for Ravenclaw. She plopped down at the edge of the table, turning herself to get a good view of the Sorting. She was smiling eagerly at me._

_"__**Roger Davies!**__"_

_I turned my head to see a pompous-looking boy with slicked back dark hair striding towards the Sorting Hat with pride. He didn't bother looking at anyone in particular, but his face contorted into a slight grimace as the Hat was placed on his head._

_"__**Ravenclaw!**__" the Hat announced, earning another cheer from the table of ravens at getting another new member of the House. The first-years clapped quietly as they awaited their turn, not really caring for the Davies boy's result._

_"__**Cedric Diggory!**__"_

_A pale boy wriggled himself passed me, bumping into my shoulder as he did. He turned back to check on me, murmuring a sincere apology. I merely smiled at him, nodding and waving my hand that I was fine. He smiled politely at me before hurrying off to the stool._

_He sat down, and the Hat barely touched his head before it declared, "__**Hufflepuff!**__"_

_Most of the people in the room sniggered at the fact he had been placed into the House of Badgers, but the others Hufflepuffs were enthusiastic about cheering for their new member. I clapped loudly for the sweet boy, grinning at him when he glanced back at me. He nodded appreciatively, happy that there was someone outside his own House that wouldn't to tease him._

_"__**Fredrick Weasley!**__"_

_A boy with fiery hair took to the stage, hopping up on the stool with ease. He had a lopsided grin on his lips as his brown eyes glazed over the crowd before him. He looked vaguely familiar to me as I curiously stared at him._

_The Hat barely grazed his head, which looked too heated to touch, before it cried, "__**Gryffindor!**__"_

_The Gryffindor table roared._

_"__**George Weasley!**__"_

_An identical boy mimicked the other's movements, but his actions were shyer compared to the previous redhead. His gaze flickered around, but he had a similar smile on his lips. He seemed a tad nervous, unlike his twin._

_The Hat was only centimeters from the boy's head before it bellowed, "__**Gryffindor!**__"_

_Relief flooded his face as he was placed into the same House as his brother. He hopped down and made his way quickly over to the table of roaring lions._

_I noticed that he was sitting next to two other redheads plus his mirrored image. It was obvious that they were all related, grinning proudly at one another. The almost all looked the same: red hair, freckles, thin faces, sun-kissed skin tones from working outside._

_"__**Angelina Johnson!**__"_

_A girl with lovely dark skin and jet black hair made her way up. She radiated confidence as she sat down on the stool. I figured she'd be a Gryffindor automatically._

_"__**Gryffindor!**__"_

_And I was right._

_"__**Alicia Spinnet!**__"_

_Another dark-skinned girl, but lighter than Johnson, went to the stool to have herself sorted. She was nervous, but she had a better show of it than the second Weasley boy. Her dark hair was twisted back into braids._

_"__**Gryffindor!**__" the Hat called, causing the girl to break out into a dazzling grin._

_"__**Kenneth Towler!**__"_

_"__**Gryffindor!**__"_

_"__**Patricia Stimpson!**__"_

_"__**Hufflepuff!**__"_

_McGonagall looked over the parchment in her hands, and I could have sworn that her eyes softened ever-so-slightly before she called, "__**Felicity Lumen!**__"_

_I flinched at the sound of my name, biting down on my lower lip as I made my way towards the stool. My blood was pounding painfully in my ears, feeling the eyes of everyone in the room on my back. My eyes flickered towards the elderly man in pale blue robes, the Headmaster, who smiled gently at me as he stroked his long beard of white._

_I sat down on the surface of the stool and waited until I felt the weight of the hat on my head. He spoke to himself more than to me, but he spoke loudly for me to hear him, "How curious... You have traits of all four Houses, my dear girl. The tolerance of a Hufflepuff, the curiosity of a Ravenclaw, the leadership qualities of a Slytherin, and the strong will of a Gryffindor."_

_I remained silent as the Hat contemplated my placement. My eyes found Mason, who grinned at me, then flickered to Alistair behind him, who nodded encouragingly. I glanced at the Hufflepuff table, where the Diggory boy was watching me with a smile on his lips. I looked over to where Sapphira sat; she had her hands laced together in front of her in prayer._

_"__Your tolerance is powerful, yes, but you cannot bottle everything up forever. You have quite the temper, little lass," the Hat continued. "You will put your all into something once you've put your mind to it, but you have a hard time deciding whether or not to start it. You have strong leadership capabilities, willing to take the role of the alpha, but it's difficult for you to stand up for your own opinions, and you're willing to step aside for someone else to take the role. Your hunger for knowledge, though, is more powerful than anything, and you wish to learn until your heart's content... Ah, yes, I can clearly see the strong mixture of your parents within you."_

_**Ravenclaw,**__ I assumed in my mind, ignoring the painful twinge in my heart at the mention of my deceased father._

_"__Oh, and you're a clever one, too," he said, an amused smile in his voice. He finally declared, "__**Ravenclaw!**__"_

_"__Yes! Yes! __**Yes!**__" Sapphira jumped up from her seat, pumping her fist into the air, as the rest of Ravenclaw cheered happily._

_McGonagall lifted the Hat from my head and, to my complete surprise, smiled down at me as she said quietly, "Just like your mother."_

_Stunned, I slowly walked over to the Ravenclaw table, where Sapphira was excitedly waiting for me. I heard a couple cheers from the Gryffindor table, which I assumed were from Alistair and Mason, along with some from the kind Hufflepuffs._

_"__We're in the same House together!" Sapphira beamed, throwing her arms around me again. "I'm so happy!"_

_I smiled at her enthusiasm, "Roommates?"_

_"__**Definitely!**__"_

* * *

><p><em> A heavy sigh escaped my lips as I placed the final piece of clothing away from my trunk.<em>

_ "**Achoo!**"_

_ "Blessed be," I glanced over at Sapphira as she fell into a fit of continuous sneezes. I awaited for her to finish before repeating, "Blessed be."_

_ "T-Thanks," she sniffed, eyes a puffy red. She sounded congested._

_ I frowned at her, "Saph, are you okay?"_

_ "Yeah, totally fine," she coughed._

_ "Liar," I rolled my blue eyes at her. I crossed my arms, tapping my foot impatiently, "What's wrong?"_

_ "Okay, well," she darted her eyes towards Nix, who was curled up on the dresser, then averted her gaze to the window outside, "I may be a** tad **bit allergic to, um, well...** cats**." She flailed her hands in front of her, "But it's only to the shedding! Like, Nix is** totally** fine when she's not, and I can pet her and such. It's just the shedding."_

_ I tilted my head slightly, looking over my friend, before I said, "I'll talk to Professor Flitwick and see if there's a charm I can use to stop it. If not, then I guess that I'll just have to attempt to create one, 'kay?" I offered her a smile._

_ "Really?" Her eyes lit up. "Oh, you're so sweet, Felicity!"_

_ I shrugged, "It also saves the elves some trouble with the sweeping, you know?"_

_ "That's very true," she nodded. "I'm guessing you're pro-elf?"_

_ "Yeah," I agreed shyly. "I mean, I understand that they love serving people, but I believe they should be able to speak their opinions more and not be abused for their service."_

_ "I completely agree," Sapphira grinned. "We have an elf—her name is Cora—and she's very well-treated. We appreciate everything she does. She's part of the family, you know?"_

_ The blond's response made me smile._

_ "Alright, well, I'm going to go hunt down Flitwick while you finish up here," I told her, heading towards the door. I sniggered as I placed a hand on the knob, "Try not to die from sneezing."_

_ I quickly shut the door behind me, hearing an audible **thump** of a pillow hitting the other side. I chuckled to myself as walked down the corridor of the girls' dormitory. I jogged down the stone steps with ease, entering the quiet common room of the Ravenclaw tower._

_ I murmured to myself as I exited the common room and padded down another set of stone steps to the entryway of the tower, "**Now, if I remember correctly, Flitwick's office is near the West Tower on the seventh floor, thirteenth window from the right...**"_

_ I sighed heavily as I followed the route I vaguely remembered the prefect showing us in case we needed to contact the Head of Ravenclaw and Charms Master, Filius Flitwick._

_ I climbed the stone steps of the spiral staircase, counting the windows as I passed until I reached eight, and stepped through. I knocked on the door, hearing a soft "**Come in**" after._

_ I entered the office to see the tiny professor sitting at his desk, scribbling down furiously on parchments. He looked up and smiled, "Ah, hello! You're Miss..." his eyes scanned over me, "Lumen, yes?"_

_ "Yes, sir," I offered him a polite smile. "I was wondering if you could help me with something."_

_ "Please have a seat, my dear," he gestured to the navy armchair in front of him with his quill. "I'm just finishing up these last few forms, then I'll be right with you."_

_ "No problem," I told him, walking over to the chair and sitting down slowly._

_ I allowed my eyes to wander the room, taking in the workspace. Moving portraits clung to the wall, looking over me curiously, while books were neatly lined in the multiple bookcases. There were large stacks of thick book sitting on the floor. There was a velvet curtain off to the right, and I assumed that it was shielding his sleeping quarters from curious students._

_ The quiet shuffling of paperwork drew my attention back to the desk to find Flitwick putting the parchments together before he set them off to the side. He laced his fingers together and rested them on the desk surface in front of him, offering me a kind smile, "So, how may I help you, Miss Lumen?"_

_ "Well, actually," I fidgeted, chewing on my lower lip, "I was wondering if you could help me with a charm or something." I noticed that his eyes lit up a bit as he nodded eagerly for me to continue. "You see, my roommate is allergic to cats, and, well, I have one. I was wondering if there was a charm to stop her from shedding... The cat, I mean."_

_ His dark brows rose curiously, "In all my years, I don't believe I've ever come across a charm that prevented shedding, Miss Lumen."_

_ "Then... how can I create one?" I asked. "I mean, I know that fur is a big problem with pet owners in general, especially when it comes to allergies. This can provide homes for a lot of stray animals. It's a beneficial charm as a result, if I can construct it properly."_

_ "It's truly sounds helpful," he agreed with a nod. His brows furrowed though, and he looked at me with a serious expression, "but spell creation is a highly dangerous and mysterious art, my child. Only witches and wizards with a great understanding of magic are known to be able to invent and create spells. You're only a first-year, dear girl, and you just got sorted into Ravenclaw this evening!"_

_ "Professor," she stood up slowly, "**I **personally may not be very experienced in magic, but surely the **Charms Master** of Hogwarts would be willing to help his pupil and help her when she's in need."_

_ He crossed his arms, leaning back in his chair, as he watched me. Amusement was flickering in his dark eyes, but there was a hint of excitement in them as well._

_ After a long moment of silence, I added, "I was sorted into Ravenclaw for a reason, and that reason was for my hunger of knowledge. Knowledge is the most powerful thing a person can have, and if I can have the ability to create my own charm, then I will make Rowena Ravenclaw, herself, proud. So, **please**, let me try, professor."_

_ He thought my words over for a few moments, never breaking eye contact with me, before he finally sighed and nodded, "You're as stubborn as your mother when she was sorted into Ravenclaw." A smile graced his lips, "I will spend some time with you every day after your classes, and we'll work together on creating your charm. I hope that your roommate is willing to put up with it for awhile. Spells cannot be produced in one day!"_

_ I felt a grin break out on my face as I bowed at the waist, "Thank you so much, professor!"_

_ **Bang, bang, bang!**_

_ "What in the world is that?" Flitwick frowned, hopping off his chair and waddling over to the door. I followed right behind him as my curiosity was getting the better of me._

_ As soon as he opened the door, the prefect boy, Dimitri McGarn, was puffing, "Professor! The dormitories are on fire! Jane's moving all the students out of the tower."_

_ "**Fire?!**" Flitwick and I gasped._

_ The Head of Ravenclaw whipped around to face me and ushered me out of his office, "Mr. McGarn, escort Miss Lumen out of the tower immediately, then go inform Dumbledore and as many teachers you find on the way. Now! Go!"_

_ McGarn snaked my wrist and pulled me down the steps in a rush. My heart was pounding as he pushed me out of the tower, into the arms of the prefect girl, Jane Jacobson, as he darted away._

_ "Are you okay?" she asked me._

_ I nodded, "Where's Sapphira? Sapphira Crane? Blond girl just a wee bit shorter than me with big green eyes?"_

_ I stepped away from her as we both scanned over the heads of the frightened Ravenclaws, but not a single one of them was the curly blond I was looking for._

_ "**Felicity!**" a cat-like yowl filled the air, causing my head to jerk towards the sky to find Nix standing outside the window. "**Sapphira's passed out up here! The fire's getting too bad!**"_

_ Before my mind could register, my feet were darting back towards the building, and I could barely hear the voices behind me shouting for me to return to the group. I was running up the steps, and, after stating a quick answer to the bronze eagle to enter the common room, I flew passed Professor Flitwick as he casted the **Aguamenti** spell, shooting a jet of water to put out a small path of flames._

_ He cried out my name, but I ignored him._

_ As I bolted up the stairway to the girls' dormitories, feeling my lungs constrict as the toxic fumes of smoke entered my system. I coughed, nearly choking, as I hurried passed the roaring flames that licked the wooden walls. My sensitive eyes were watering, blurring my vision._

_ Once I reached the door to my room, I went to touch the handle, but the metal burned my palm. I growled at it before shouting between coughs, pulling my wand out and flicking my wrist, "**Alohomora!**"_

_ **Bang!**_

_ The wooden door flew open, hitting the wall beside it loudly._

_ "**Nix!**" I called, but I hadn't needed to._

_ The feline was sitting loyally beside the fallen blond as she meowed back, "**We're over here!**"_

_ Sapphira laying on the floor, unconscious, on the other side of her bed, which was burning from blue to black. I covered my mouth and nose with the sleeve of my sweater as I hurried over to my friend._

_ "Nix," my muffled voice was out-volumed by the roar of the bed's beams, which held the the canopy up, groans as it crashed to the ground. It blocked the way to the door, engulfing it in furious flames. I looked to my feline companion, jerking my head to the window, which she nodded and made her way over to it._

_ I slung Sapphira's arm around my neck and wrapped my own arm around her waist as I pulled her up enough to move her away from the flames. I struggled a bit with the extra weight, but I was able to make it to the window._

_ I shouted, waving my wand in the air, "**Accio** Broom!"_

_ There was another wooden groan, and I turned my head just in time to find the beam to my own bed falling towards us._

_ "**No!**" I cried, pushing Sapphira off me before the wooden knocked me down._

_She fell to the side with a loud, bodily **thud**. Her body lay motionless on her side, and her blond curls were singed as they fell over her face. She looked as if she had fallen asleep on the floor next to a fireplace._

_ I screamed loudly as the flames burned through my clothing and started to melt the skin along my side. A thick liquid poured from my body onto the dark wood of the floorboard. I quickly wriggled myself from from the weakened wood, ripping my flaming jumper off and tossing it to the floor._

_ **Foosh!**_

_ A broom flew into the room through the window, and I was just able to catch it with my hand. Luckily, my body was pumping with enough adrenaline to allow me to ignore the pain in my heavily bleeding side and gave me the power to pull Sapphira onto the broomstick with me. Nix hopped onto her lap and clung to the both of us._

_ I remembered the few lessons that Pepa had taught me with the broom as a child and attempted to will it to levitate off the ground._

_ It didn't._

_ My panic rose as the flames roared at me, beckoning me to be consumed in its burning embrace. It wanted it eat my flesh like a flock of hungry fire vultures.  
><em>

_ **Magic won't work if you're freaking out, Felicity**, I reminded myself._

_ I took a moment to relax my mind, closing my eyes as I breathed in the cold air from the open window._

_ I felt my feet lift off the ground, and Sapphira leaned heavily against me. My icy eyes snapped open as I leaned forward, sending the broomstick outside._

_ I heard the shouts of the other students below as I guided the broomstick slowly towards the crowd, keeping a firm hand on the end of the broom and an arm around my two passengers. I landed clumsily, causing Nix to hop off just seconds before my feet roughly met the ground._

_ The broomstick fell behind me, and I held Sapphira tightly, turning my body so my back hit the ground instead of her as we fell over._

_ "Professor McGonagall, tell Flitwick that she's out!" a girl shouted. "Madam Pomfrey! Over here!"  
><em>

_ A grey-haired woman dressed in a crimson nurse's outfit hurried over to the two of us, and her face grew pale as she saw my bleeding side. The thick, sticky liquid clung heavily to my clothes. I didn't hear what she was saying, but, from the look on her face, I understood that she was barking orders._

_ My vision faded as one of the older male students approached me. My face contorted with pain as his arms lifted me off the ground, and my head tilted against his shoulder. I muttered one sentence before I passed out, "Take care... of Sapphira..."_


	2. Chapter 1

_**Two Years Later...**_

It was the annual day that everyone gathered in the Great Hall to watch the first-years going up one by one for the Sorting Hat to declare which of the four houses that each students were to belong to for the rest of their years at the castle of a school. The upperclassmen eyed the fresh meat amongst the crowd, deciding on who their prey would be.

The fledglings gathered around a woman like chicklings to a mother hen. Being that figure, Professor McGonagall's eyes danced around the group, selecting from the bunch before her in an attempt to decide on who was to be the first victim of the public sorting. After a few long heartbeats, she finally called out a name, "_Hermione Granger._"

"And so it begins," I sighed heavily, flipping to the next page in the hardcover novel that I was reading at my designated table as the students dressed in black robes with blue and bronze ties chattered away with each other.

"What is it, Felicity?" Sapphira looked at me curiously with her bright green eyes, cocking her head to the side in question. Her blond ringlets fell and bounced in the motion. "You're not excited?"

"Not at all," I replied, running my thumb and ring finger along the sides of my head as I pushed my hair back from my face, shaking my long ponytail that tapped against my lower back through my black robes. I was going to need a trim soon. "I think that it's rather pointless that we're forced to be here. I'd rather be upstairs in our room by now, reading more comfortably on the couch or my bed."

"Oh, hush up!" she barked, causing me to flinch. I winced at the uncomfortable pinch on my left side. "It's nice to see the first-years, and welcome them to the school. Besides, I heard from Mason that the youngest brother of the Weasley's is enrolling this year!"

"The _Weasley's!_" I huffed in disgust. I could feel my nostril twitching into a snarl at the mention of their name. The scar that was burned into my side itched. _Those awful twins were the ones that set off that damn firework that set the tower on fire._

* * *

><p><em> When I awoke, pain instantly flowed through my midriff, burning deeply into my side. I bit down hard on my lip, tasting blood from the cuts my sharp teeth were causing. My hands clenched into fists, and tears pricked at my eyes.<em>

_ "Miss Lumen, you're awake!" the nurse-clad woman bustled over to my bedside, and she was carrying a tray with a purple bottle and a goblet. Her face was slightly ashen, but relief flooded over her features when she say my eyes watching her. Her own blue eyes analyzed my reactions silently. "I'm afraid that the skin tissue had been badly burned in the fire, dear girl, so you'll be stuck with a bit of a nasty scar." She had an apologetic frown on her lips._

_ "Is it..." I winced, "gonna' hurt this bad, too...?"_

_ "Just for awhile," she sighed, placing the tray down on the nightstand beside my bed. "As long as you take your medicine, the pain should go away soon."_

_ "And Sapphira?" I asked, narrowing my eyes at her._

_ Her gaze flickered away from me to the bed to my right. I turned my head to follow her gaze to find my blond friend sleeping peacefully on the hospital bed. Her blond curls were still singed at the tips, but there was color in her face. Her breathing was regular and heavy._

_ "She'll be perfectly fine when she wakes up," Madam Pomfrey told me, causing me to return my attention to the older woman. She seemed a bit conflicted, as if she wanted to tell me something._

_ "Thank you, Madam Pomfrey," the withered voice of the Headmaster echoed from the entrance. His shoes barely clicked as he shuffled over to us. He nodded to the nurse as he spoke, "That will be all for now. I have a matter to discuss with Miss Lumen."_

_ I furrowed my brows in confusion as I watched the nurse hurry away to treat a groaning student on the other side of the room. I glanced at the headmaster curiously._

_ He took a seat at the edge of my bed, nodding to the gifts placed on the table just beyond my feet, "It seems you've made a few fans from your heroic deed, Miss Lumen."_

_ "I doubt that presents are the matter you wanted to talk to me about," I told him, frowning at his avoidance of the main topic._

_ "Sharp as a knife, indeed," he nodded approvingly, "and you're right. The fact of the matter is that I wanted to discuss with you about who set the Ravenclaw Tower afire that evening."_

_ I felt my body stiffen, but the pain in my side caused me to wince. I squeezed my eyes shut and dug my nail into my right bicep, forcing the new pain to become more conscious than my side. Once I felt calm enough, I looked up to the headmaster and asked, "Who was it?"_

_ He held his closed fist to me, then he slowly opened it to reveal a burned piece of paper, "This was one of the few things that were left intact when the mess was being cleaned."_

_ I glanced up at him before taking the paper from his palm. I carefully opened it to find part of a sentence reamining: __**FG Weasley's Demo Whizzle Cracker**__..._

_ I crushed the paper in my clenched fist, feeling my face twist with anger, "The Weasley twins..."_

_ "Now, you must rest, so your body may heal, Miss Lumen," Dumbledore told me as he stood up. He nodded his head, "We'll take care of things from here. An owl has been sent to their mother, and we have decisions to make for their consequences."_

_ I growled, "Sapphira is to never know of this."_

_ I couldn't tell if the headmaster had heard me or not, but he left the Hospital Wing without another word. He walked with his hands together behind his back._

_ I looked over to my blond friend, feeling tears sting my eyes as I watched her, "I promise, Saph... I'll get them back for this. I don't care how long it takes."_

* * *

><p>"<em><strong>Fliss!<strong>_" Sapphira nudged my side, causing my to blink out of my thoughts, as she hissed in my ear, "_You're making that weird face again..._"

I shot her an unamused glance as I growled in response, "You know how I get when it comes to those insufferable twins! They just think they're _so _hilarious, and they don't care about how the things they do affect the people around them."

"Whatever," she rolled her eyes at me, pursing her perfect lips. "I have to go ask Mason something, so I'll be right back, okay?"

I nodded, "'Kay. I'll be here."

As she left, I buried my nose deeper into my book. My eyes skimmed over the printed words as I muttered to myself, "_She just doesn't understand... She doesn't know what those twins did, and she doesn't know what they almost did to her..._"

"You rang?" a set of mirrored voices came from behind me, causing my body to flinch again and make me wince, but it was instinctively this time for not recognizing their presence sooner.

"_Draco Malfoy!_" the professor called for another victim.

I shut my book with a loud _snap_ before I swiveled around in my seat to see the two identical boys looking down at me with playful smirked on their lips.

After years of their toying with me, it became easy to tell the difference between the two when they were together; Fred always had a thinner face than his brother, and George had a slight higher, more nasally pitch to his voice.

My blood boiled at the sight of them, "Return to your own table, you _Weasles!_"

"Me-_ow!_" George cried with a pretend expression of hurt as he took in my scowl, countering it with a grin. "Feline's got a bit of a bite to her today, doesn't she, Freddie?"

"_Don't_ call me '_Feline_'," I spat venomously.

"She does, Georgie," the other replied, chuckling as he watched me with mirth dancing in his eyes. My nails dug into my palms as my fists clenched. "You're not still upset, are ya', Lumen?"

"_Upset?!_" I roared, jumping up to get into their faces despite that I was nearly a head shorter than the both of them. My silver crescent moon necklace bounced under my shirt when I moved, and I ignored the growing burning sensation in my side. I grabbed the nearest one, which turned out to be Fred, by the collar of his shirt, "You nearly _killed_ my best friend, my cat, and me! How _inconsiderate_ can you two imbeciles be?!"

"_Felicity Lumen!_"

I froze at the sound of the headmaster's powerful tone. I slowly turned my attention towards him, taking note of the silver brow he had raised in question, "Are you quite finished with your little rant now, my dear?"

The laughter around me, including from those wretched twins, made my cheeks burn with embarrassment and heightened my irritation. I gripped the folds of the plaid, blue-and-bronze skirt that fell just above my kneecaps under my thick robe, bowing my head to look down at the creamy tiles beneath my navy blue flats. "Yes, sir."

"Then please return to your seat, Miss Lumen," he instructed, which I silently obliged to but not without sending a dark glare towards the twins in the process. "You, too, boys. Get back to your seats as well."

"Yes, sir, Mr. Dumbledore, sir!" they saluted dutifully before marching towards the Gryffindor table, causing another roar of laughter.

I buried my reddening face into my book, praying that the thick cover would be able to mask the humiliation that the two fools had brought upon me. Thankfully, the attention from my table was turned away from me as the next victim of the Sorting Hat was called.

"_Susan Bones!_"

"Felicity, it's not_ that_ bad!" Sapphira tried to comfort me, but I let her words travel in one ear and out the other. "Put the book down already!"

"No," I sent a cold look at her from the corner of my eye. "They humiliate me every year as though I'm their personal plaything when they're bored. They've even given me _pet names!_"

"But they're rather cute pet names!" she defended playfully.

"Maybe to you," I stated flatly, staring blankly at the inked pages in front of my eyes, "but their growing rather irritating with each encounter."

She rolled her hazel eyes at me. "Fliss, I know that you're mad, but please..."

"Whatever," I shot back, knowing that she had no idea that the twins had started the fire during our first year. "Just pay attention to your first-years."

"I will!"

She stubbornly crossed her arms, turning in her seat to get a better view of the students going up to the stage. I sighed heavily, tucking my homemade bookmark between the pages and snapping the hardcover novel shut again. I swiveled around on the bench to join my pouting friend. Without bothering to glance her way, I could tell that she broke into a smile.

"_Ronald Weasley!_"

My slightly pointed ears pricked at the sound of the name. I turned attention to the young boy, who looked quite a bit like his elder brothers with their matching red hair and certain mimicked features. He, though, seemed more nervous and shier. It similar to how George was when he was being sorted, much different that Fred.

Percy had always been the calmer brother. We spent some time together when we'd bump into each other in the library, both looking for a quiet place to study or read. He was quite funny, but it was never overwhelmingly. It was just pleasant. I had a spark of a crush on him during my first-year, but it was quickly snuffed before it grew into anything more when I caught him sharing a kiss with a girl from my own household, Penelope Clearwater. He and I stayed friends, but that was all as I moved on.

_Oh, well. _I sighed internally. _Not like I wanted to be related to those infuriating twins anyway! It was a positive ending to that little crush. Percy's happy, and I get to focus on my studies still._

"Ha! Another Weasley. I know_ just _what to do with you..." I listened more closely as the Sorting Hat decided to frighten the boy by making a bit of fun of him, "_Gryffindor!_"

I chuckled lightly, "Of course that old hat would put the boy with his brothers. It's practically a tradition now that they all go into the Gryffindor household. Mr. Sorter had always been a bit of a softie."

"Oh, ho!" Sapphira sent me a sideways glance. "Look at who's paying attention to the Weasley boys. Don't tell me that you have a _thing _for Percy again, do you?"

I felt my cheeks flush slightly, "Of course not! You know that I'm over that boy."

"Then it must be those oh-so_ infuriating _twins, eh?" she waggled her brows at me, always seeming to read my mind when it came to insulting those identical idiots.

"Are you off your rocker?" I glanced at her. "Not even if the world was coming to an_ end!_"

"_Shh!_"

We turned to see Penelope Clearwater, herself, hushing us. Both Sapphira and I rolled our eyes at her before returning out attention back to the newbies. She was obviously upset to have learned that I was still friends with her boyfriend despite that my crush for him was brief. I snorted a laugh as my friend snickered. _Oh, how much fun it is to tease her!_

"_Harry Potter!_"

My body pulsed the sound of his name, my ears pricking and eyes widening. _Harry Potter? The boy of legend is here? I thought that was only a rumor!_

"You seem surprised." Sapphira furrowed her brows at me, questioning my sudden display of interest. "Who is he?"

"Are you _kidding_ me, Saph?" I looked at her with shock etched in my features. I leaned closer, whispering in her hear so that only she would be able to hear me, "_He was the only one to survive the wrath of..._" I lowered my voice even more, "_**Voldemort.**_"

Her sharp breath intake told me that she knew exactly who I was speaking of now before she exclaimed rather loudly, "_Oh, my gosh!_"

"_Shh!_" I hissed. "I want to hear this one!"

"_... not a bad mind either. There's __**talent**__,_" the Sorting Hat grumbled, but the vibrations of his voice in the silenced room made it easy to hear him. At least... for me, it was. "_Oh, yes, and a first to prove yourself... but __**where **__to put you?_"

There was a short moment of silence from the leather creature on the young boy's head. I narrowed my eyes slightly, peering at them to try getting a better look. His lips were moving, but I couldn't make out what he was saying. It sounded like a type of hissing, though.

"_Not _Slytherin, eh?" the Hat asked. "Are you _sure? _You could be great, you know. It's all here, in your head... And Slytherin will help you on the _way _to greatness. There's no doubt about that. _No?_ … Well, if you're sure..." he seemed quite disappointed. "Better be... _Gryffindor!_"

"_Lucky bunch,_" I grumbled under my breath as the entire table of red and gold stood to cheer for their famous new member.

"Oh, don't pout," Sapphira whined. She pointed over to the loud table, causing me to look over there as well, "It seems like he had already made friends over there, anyway."

"Yes, I suppose you're right," I sighed. "I just can't wait to adopt a new person, though."

She merely rolled her eyes at me, an amused smile on her lips.

_Clink, clink, clink, clink!_

Our attention turned back towards the stage as Professor McGonagall spoke once more, "Your attention, please!"

The headmaster stood up from the comfort of his golden throne-like chair, spreading his arms apart, "Let the feast... _begin_."

I shifted in my seat to turn towards the table again to find the buffet had already appeared in front of us. The first-years gasped a surprised, "_Whoa!_" from each one of their mouths when the summoned food suddenly arriving.

"Oh, _yum!_" Sapphira and I synchronized our squeals of delight.

We quickly filled our plates along with the others at our table when a woman's voice came gliding down, "Welcome back, my Ravenclaws."

"_Helena!_" I grinned at the Grey Lady as she paused her destination to hover in front of me. "How have you been this summer?"

She was a tall, transparent woman that wore a floor-length cloak and carried herself with a serene manner. A coy smile graced her blue lips, "It was perfectly quiet. I was able to read and relax in peace. What are you reading, my dear?"

"Ah," I held the book up to her so she could see the title, "it's just a book about those to transform into animals."

"Like the werewolves?" she asked curiously, cocking her head slightly. It was always fun talking about novels with Helena because she had read most of the ones at the school already, so she knew which ones to recommend to me for reading material.

I shook my head, setting it back on my lap, "No, no. Not werewolves. It's about _animagi_, where they go from human form to complete wolf, or panther, or hawk."

Her ghostly eyes widened in, what I believed, was surprise or fear before a mask faded across her features, only allowing a soft smile to peek out, "Fascinating. Allow me to borrow it one day?"

"Of course," I nodded enthusiastically, pushing the thought of her odd expression out of my mind, as she floated her way down the rest of the table before disappearing off to one of her hiding spots.

Penelope smirked, "The only friends you seem to be able to make is a Gryffindor boy, blonde, and the house ghost. How sad is _that?_"

"Oh?" I shot her an amused smile, noting how she failed to mention her boyfriend's name in the list. "What do you think Percy will say if... Oh, _I_ don't know... a little birdie told him that his girlfriend was being mean to his favorite little third-year? I don't think he'd take that very lightly, do you,_ Penny?_" I purposefully used the little pet name that Percy called her in my attempt to taunt her.

She remained silent after that, focusing back on the food in front of her. I smirked at my victory, low-fiving Sapphira under the table at her retreated defeat. As long as I held Percy's favor, she wouldn't be allowed to be too cruel towards me with her bitter jealousy or her snarky comments.

She glared at my smirking face from behind the blond curtain of her fringe.

_ A Ravenclaw must always be cunning and two to eight steps ahead of the enemy._


	3. Chapter 2

Dinner eventually ended, and I hurried out of the Great Hall with Sapphira on my heels. I wanted to get out before the prefects took the first-years on the tours. It would be so much easier to travel without being blocked by all the newbies scurrying through the halls.

"Hurry _up,_ Sapphira!" I complained, speeding my way towards the stairs despite the tightness of the navy cincher skirt tied around my waist over my dress. It had the Ravenclaw emblem stitched in clear view. "The sooner I can change into my sweats, the sooner I'll help you with your summer reading!"

"_Ugh!_" she puffed, clacking her heels as she hurried beside me. "You just want to read your stupid books some more! I swear, if you don't start pulling that nose of those pages, your life is just going to pass you by!"

"Leave my love for reading out of this," I glared playfully at her, clutching the novel closer to my chest as we moved. "If it wasn't for that, then I wouldn't be helping you with your assignments so often!"

"You're such a brat!" she snapped irritably, frowning deeply.

"Thank you!" I grinned, winking at her from over my shoulder.

She merely rolled her eyes at me in return, but her lips spread into a smile.

We climbed the tight spiral staircase with me in the lead until we got to the large wooden doors with the distinguished bronze knocker in the shape of an eagle. The bird asked, "_Laying against the waters of his mind, a man's greatest treasure is..._"

"_Wit beyond measure,_" we sang together.

The door squeaked open to reveal the common room behind it. It had graceful arched windows, and the walls were hung with blue and bronze silks. The domed ceiling is painted with stars, giving it a night sky theme, which echoed against the midnight-blue carpet. Tables, chairs, and bookcases cover the expanse of the floor, and a white-marble statue of Rowena Ravenclaw, the mother of Helena, that say next to the door leading to the dormitories above.

I spread my arms, spinning around the spacious area, "_Ah!_ I'm back in the House of the Ravenclaw!"

"Now why can't you be more like this around other people?" Sapphira giggled as I plopped into an armchair, breathing in the airy scent of the room.

I pointed my forefinger at her, "Hey! You should feel special that I only show this side to such few people _and_ that you're one of them! I could go back to ignoring every attempt you made to talk to me like before."

"No, no, no, _no!_" she whined, childishly stamping her foot against the ground. "I do _not_ want to go through that again, thank you very much!"

"You're welcome," I grinned, hopping back out of the chair. I walked over to the statue of Rowena, "I'm going to head upstairs to change real quick. I'll be back in a flash, 'kay?"

"Alright," she laughed, loosening the string of her robe. "Bring my bag down while you're up there."

"You got it," I called, already going up the dimly lit staircase.

I reached the top quickly, heading down the corridor to the familiar room that I had shared with Sapphira for the past three years now. I pulled the key from the pocket hidden amongst the folds of my skirt, unlocking the door and entering.

A smile graced my lips as the memories of the room washed over me. It was a complete replica of how it was before the fire, but every year something seems different about it. I made a beeline to the bed I had claimed as my own, my fingertips running over the perfectly handwritten letters of my name craved into the wood.

I unzipped the worn duffel bag place on the comforter, pulling out my favorite pair of sweatpants and pulling them on. They were solid black with emblem in blue and _Ravenclaw_ written vertically on the left leg. The pockets were huge, which made it easier to stuff things in.

I untied the corset-like strings to the front of my cincher before pulling it away and taking a breath of air. I slipped out of the dress as well, pulling on a blue top with a V-shaped neckline then a light grey pullover hoody. I rolled my shoulders back, feeling the comfort of the clothes pull me in. I kicked off my flats, feeling the chilly tile against my bare feet.

_Alright,_ I sighed happily, _now for that blasted backpack_.

I turned around to find Sapphira's bed _buried _under all of her luggage. I groaned, walking over to it to begin my search for the tote bag that she used every year.

She always had to bring so many suitcases that I had briefly wondered if she was permanently moving to Hogwarts during our first year, then, after she told me it hadn't been even close to all of it, I was curious as to what her home actually looked like.

After the first time I visited her home during the summer after our first year, I never questioned her family's financial power. Her father and grandmother was quite snobby, but her mother was very kind. It was easy to see who had raised her.

_This is going to take forev— Wait, what's that?_

I peered over the top of the pile to find a teal bag with _Sapphira _written in a dark blue glitter laying there in the open, "Oh, _thank you,_ luggage carrier! You just saved me a butt-load of time."

I snatched the bag and headed back towards the door when a murr-like noise caught my attention. I tilted my head slightly, looking around for the source of the noise.

My body stiffened when something brushed against my leg, causing me to look down to find a solid white cat looking up at me with bright green eyes. Her pink ears twitched at me as she murred at me again. It wasn't a meow, but it wasn't quite a purr, so it became known as her murr. "_Felicity, you've arrived!_"

"Nix!" I grinned down at the fur ball stretching up my legs, pawing at my thigh to tell me that she wanted up. I lifted her, placing her on my hip just like a toddler. "How are you, my pretty girl?"

"_I'm doing wonderfully,_" she purred her reply, nuzzling her head against the shoulder opposite that I had slung the bag on. "_I took a nap when I arrived. You know how travel from place to place make me feel ill._"

The ability to speak to cats had been with me since birth. My mother had always been astonished when she use to catch me having conversations with the town's strays as a child. After I learned about _Parseltongue_ existing, I asked her if there was a word for my ability, but she said there wasn't one. So, I kept it to myself, with the exception of Dumbledore and my mother; not even Sapphira or Mason know about it.

"Yes, I know," I giggled at her as I walked through the hall towards the stairway away. I padded down the steps with ease, her claws kneading against the thick fabric protecting my shoulder.

"Oh, you still wear the pants I got you!" Sapphira squealed in delight, clapping her hands together and tilting her head against them. "They're just so darn cute on you!"

I felt another embarrassed blush stain my cheeks at her compliments, "Oh, hush up. They're just really comfortable, and they have big pockets!"

I returned to my seat with her sitting on the chair next to me. She took her bag from my shoulder as Nix curled herself into a tiny ball on my lap. I stroked her soft fur as she purred, "_Oh, how I love the color of black._"

I shook my head down at her, rolling my eyes.

Sapphira laughed as she dug through her tote bag, "You're so lucky that you were able to make a charm that stopped shedding, Fliss. Well, of course, I am, too, but still!"

She had always been allergic to cats that shed abundant amounts, and it so happened that Lily did. Every piece of clothing that I own, especially if it was made of black material, had white cat fur all over it. My friend had a frenzy of sneezing and sniffling during our first year together, but she refused to move out of our dorm room because she had been so bound-determined to win my friendship. So, as a reward for her strong will to put up with me and my furry feline, I asked Prof. Slughorn to help me create a potion that could help with the hair problem. He had been ecstatic for a new project, and Sapphire loved the fact that I actually put the effort towards creating a small friendship with her. After working with Flitwick all through my first year, I had been able to create a charm for shedding: C_apillum non Solveris_.

"Yes, yes," I playfully rolled my eyes at her. "Wasn't that the first time I actually did something nice for you?"

"_Ugh,_" the cat's fur twitched as I ignored her and scratched her jaw. "_What a foul taste is had been!_"

"You did it because you knew that we were going to end up being best friends!" she grinned wildly.

"I did it because I admired your determination," I told her, causing her to squeal until I added, "or because I thought your stupidity was amusing."

"You're so mean!" she pouted childishly, pursing her glossy lips and crossing her arms.

I stretched my arms over my head, "Yeah, but you love me."

"And you're lucky that I do."

"Indeed I am, my friend," I smiled at her, which caused her own to return.

The door opened, causing our heads to turn towards it, to reveal Clearwater's head popping in. The second her eyes landed on us, she sneered like we were a pair of bugs in the common area.

"_Oh, goody,_" Nix growled with distaste, to which I responded by bouncing my right leg to signal for her to knock it off, but she continued anyway, "_it's the pouty boy thief._"

"Oh, don't get your panties in a twist!" I playfully snapped at her despite the fact that she was honestly getting on my nerves. "Bring in the fledglings, just tell them to hush up because we're studying."

"Whatever," she remarked as she disappeared behind the door again.

"My girl with the power," Sapphira grinned as we bumped fists.

I smirked, "Somebody has to keep her on her toes and tell her when to back off."

"_I'm waiting for the day you let me claw her eyes out..._" Nix bristled, her claws poking through the fabric of my pants at my legs as she kneaded them.

"It's alright, baby girl," I told her, petting her fur back down.

A moment later, Penelope walked through the doorway with a flood of first-years behind her. They had wide, awe-filled eyes as they looked around the spacious room. They mouths were agape at the color schemes that were made to match the night. They would share their opinions to each other in hushed whispers, proving that they had been told to stay quiet.

"Welcome, newbies," I smiled to them, standing up once more, placing Nix on the cushion, and spreading my arms out wide, which made my friend giggle at me, "to the House of Ravenclaw."

They all held a nervous glint about them, but some offered a small smile, a nod, a thanks, or just remained unfazed. I allowed my eyes to wandered over all of them, something similar to a predator looking through its prey. I pursed my lips slightly before the corners fell into a frown.

_Doesn't seem like there's anyone interesting in this batch... Not like I should expect any of this from Clearwater's group_. I thought, feeling a little disappointed. _Maybe Robert will have a more expressive bunch_.

"What is it,_ Lumen?_" Penelope sneered, speaking my last name with disgust in her tone. She was glaring deathly at me as she moved closer until we were toe-to-toe with each other. Some of the fledglings shuttered at the hostile tension that was growing in the atmosphere between she and I.

I narrowed my eyes at her for a moment before smiling coldly, "Nothing at all, _Clearwater_."

She knew it wasn't the case, but she decided to leave me alone about it anyway. She flinched when my feline hissed a warning at her from her spot on my chair. Clearwater seemed to have decided that it was best to give her brief explanation of the common room on the other side of the room, away from us, before hurrying upstairs with the crowd.

I sat back down, taking note of the shadow crawling over my. I tilted my head up at the looming figure to find a young boy that was clearly a first-year. His grey eyes sparkled under his jet black fringe as he stared down at me, a shy smile intact on his lips. There was something about him that was... familiar.

"Can I help you, boy?" I blinked curiously at him, cocking my head to the side. All the hostility in my voice when speaking to Penelope faded away when I saw him.

"Um... well... I..." His eyes shut tightly, his cheeks burning into a light red, as he held out his hands to me; they were cupped together with his palms up. I stared at them, noticing that Sapphira was inching closer to see also. A pale blue light filled his hands as though it were made from water, then it looked like a wave passed over, pushed by a nonexistent breeze, as it began forming into a sphere. It was like that for a second, a ball of light floating in his hands, before the light exploded into sparkles, causing the two of us to shut our own eyes for a moment, then, after we opened them again, a white rose replaced the spot where sphere was. "For you..."

I glanced at his now-open eyes, seeing the slight fear of possible rejection in them, before I lifted the flower from his hands. It didn't have any thorns, but it was just as lovely as any rose I've seen before. Maybe even more so.

"Thank you." I smiled at him, "It's quite beautiful."

That seemed to have lifted away some of his nervousness because he grinned toothily at me, nodded, then scampered off after the rest of the first-years.

I opened my mouth to speak, but Sapphira held up her hand to cut me off, "Hold it, let me guess... You want that one, right?"

"How could you have figured?" I smirked.

"Lucky hunch," she winked. "Anyway, you're going to have to find out his name."

"I'll ask Robert when he gets back."

As the footsteps of Penelope's bunch died away to tell that they were upstairs, the door opened again for...

"Speak of the Devil himself!" I grinned as Robert Hilliard gave me a light laugh.

"Fancy meeting you here, Felicity, Sapphira." he nodded to me then my friend. "It's nice seeing both of you again. Mind if I bring in some first-years?"

I waved him off, "Clearwater brought her fledglings through already, so it's fine as long as they keep it down."

"Yeah, it's no big," Sapphira laughed.

"Thanks, girls," he said before ducking behind the door again.

Instead of welcoming the group like with the last, I merely curled up in my armchair and played with the petals of my new rose. _Well, he certainly will be an adorable little pet, won't he?_

Sapphira's foot met my own as she tapped it. I looked up at her find her jerking her head in Robert's direction as he gave a small speech about Rowena and Helena Ravenclaw. It took me a moment before I realized what she was hinting at.

"Oh! Robert!" I called, jumping up and dashing over to him. "Hang back for a moment."

"Just wait at the top of the stairs for me!" he called to the fledglings that were already in the candlelit tunnel leading to the dorms. He turned around to face me, curiosity flickering in his eyes as he noticed the flower in my hands, "Yes, Felicity? Are you finally ready to join the Quidditch team this year?"

"Pfft, _no!_" I barked a laugh, which caused him to frown a bit. I smiled sweetly to him, though, "_But,_ if you see a shy lad that's slightly smaller than the other fledglings with grey eyes and a mop of black hair, can you catch his name for me? _Pleeease?_"I fluttered my lashes at him and extended the word on purpose.

He stared at me for a long moment before he sighed, already knowing that I was going to end up adopting the child, "Okay, fine. If I see him, I'll get his name."

"Thank you!" I threw my arms around him, causing him to stiffen in surprise, before skipping happily back over to my chair. "Now, Sapphira, if I have to get up one more time from this chair, I'm going to _Stupefy_ you."

"But what if you have to go to the bathroom?"

I groaned, letting my head fall back against the back of the chair, "Maybe I _won't_ have to use it on you..."

"You'll have to go _sometime_," she sang, wagging a finger. "Anyway, let's get the summer reading done!"

"Fine, fine."

We finished her homework within a half-hour to forty-five minutes. It was split between me speed reading through the pages and her shooting out questions for me to answer. Teamwork always seemed to work perfectly for us, and Snape never seemed to have noticed our way of cheating through our strengths and weaknesses, not that we had many.

I didn't like mathematics, but Sapphira did; she didn't like reading, but I loved it. That was about it, really.

We sat in silence, enjoying the view from the tall windows as the sky grew darker and the candles hooked to the walls came to life with flames. It turned the usually cool blue room into an orange warmth with how the fire's light flooded around and the shadows danced against the walls.

One of the thick curtains continuously twitched, which the two of us figured was Nix playing with the ropes that dangled close to the floor.

Footsteps echoed loudly against the wordless air as someone was descending down the stairs. Our heads turned, a rush of hope flowing through my veins for the young fledgling that gave me the flower.

To my slight disappointment, it was merely Robert.

_Well,_ I thought, raising my brows at him as I waited for him to cross the room to me, _hopefully he'll have a name for my hunt to begin_.

"Hayden Howel," he answered without the question being vocalized.

I grinned at the Ravenclaw prefect. _Seems like spending these past three years with me has done him some good with knowing what I wanted without having to ask_. "Thank you, my sweet."

He returned the smile, "If that is all, may I go to sleep now?"

"Be off with you then!" I gave him a melodramatic, queen-like wave of my right hand as though dismissing him from my sight. I even lifted my nose towards the ceiling for more effect. "Get to bed, for you have to be awakened early in the morrow."

"Yes, my lady," he did a slight bow to play along with my act before he straightened, rolled his eyes, and headed back upstairs with the smirk. "Don't stay awake too long, girls."

"Yes, _father,_" we sang together, earning a laugh from the tunnel.

"Feel like packing up and heading upstairs?" Sapphira asked me, tilting her head back on the arm from her position stretched out on the couch so I could her upside-down face. If she was sitting up, it would be easy to say that her eyes were drooping from exhaustion of the days events. "It's starting to get late."

I nodded to her, suppressing a yawn that was crawling up my throat, "Let's go."

I gathered the parchments as she stacked the books. We quickly put them away in her tote bag, then she swung it over her shoulder, sending a nod my way. I stood up, rubbing my numb tailbone from sitting down for so long.

We headed upstairs quietly, watching each step in the narrow, stone staircase. I was in the lead with my friend at my heels, just a step or two behind. We met the balcony at the top, turning towards our right where the girls' dormitories were and quickly walked down the hall to our room.

I placed a hand on the doorknob, looking at Sapphira from over my shoulder with my forefinger to my lips, _"Shh, the roommates are probably sleeping, okay?_"

She nodded wordlessly, biting down on her lower lip.

I turned the knob and, with care, creaked the door open slowly.

It was pitch black inside, proving that the other two girls inside were asleep.

I sighed, pushed the door wide enough for Sapphira and I to slip through. She sneaked passed, and her bed groaned lightly as she sat down on it while I shut the door again.

My body tensed in fear of awakening the others, but there were only the sounds of them turning themselves over under their blankets to adjust to a more comfortable position. A breath of relief escaped my lips as I tip-toed towards my own bed. I slid under the blankets and snuggled against my pillow.

It wasn't long after before I felt the mattress shift under extra weight, which I assumed was Nix jumping up on my bed, as I slowly drifted into a slumber.


	4. Chapter 3

I groaned as the morning light warmed my eyelids, pulling the covers over my head. It was the first day of actual school, and I felt the need to burrow further into my bed already sink in. The way that weight on my legs moved, it was easy to tell that Nix was sitting up and stretching her sleepy bones.

"_Sapphira's going to wake you up if you don't move,_" she warned with a murr.

The weight was gone a moment later, followed by a light _thump_ against the wooden floorboards. I did my own little cat stretch by pushing my rump towards the air and stretching my arms out in front of me under the pillow that I had been snuggled up to. After my back had a good _pop_ or two, I rolled onto my side and curled up again.

"I swear, Felicity," Sapphira's familiar voice scolded, "you're just like a cat that I might as well call you _Feline_ instead!"

I peeked at her from under the covers, noticing that she was already dressed in her robes and putting in her favored pearl earrings, "Do you really assume that I would mind that? Actually, I'm rather surprised that you haven't yet."

"Well," a playful smirk curled at her glossy pink lips, "you seem to mind when the twins call you that, or is it that you secretly enjoy it?"

"Oh, hush up!" I whined loudly, yanking the pillow over my head in an attempt to block out her words. "It's too early in the morning for talking about those nuisances."

The amusement in her laugh was clear proof that my pillow tactic was failing me, "Come out from there, or you'll be late for breakfast!"

I remained under the warmth of the blankets.

"We have Snape first period for Potions. You wouldn't want to miss being a smart-alec in his classes, would you?" she stated in a sing-song voice, knowing that it would do the trick to get me out of bed.

"_Snape?_ This early?" I ripped the covers off myself and dashed towards my drawer. I quickly pulled out my uniform and changed, hopping about the room as I tried to pull the skirt on and make my way over to the little vanity desk that Sapphira was at. "This is_ incredible!_ I bet he can't _wait _to see me!"

"I'm sure he'll be _delighted,_" she giggled as I fussed with brushing out my hair. I allowed her to mess with my blue and silver striped tie before I hurried to the bathroom to brush my teeth. "Remember how he nearly gave you detention last year for that _Snaper poo_ comment?"

I choked out a laugh, spitting out most of the foamy toothpaste out from my mouth to the sink's bowl-like shape. I quickly washed out most of the minty flavor, grimacing as I nearly vomited on brushing my tongue. I called back to her, "His reaction to it was worth the five-point deduction!"

"At least everyone didn't rue you for it!" she grinned, which soon flipped to a frown when she saw my messy appearance. She shook her head, pulling a hair tie from her wrist and tossing it my way, "Put that mess in a ponytail."

"Nix must've stolen my hair tie last night." I caught it easily, slipping it around my own wrist. I sent a glance around the room, but the feline seemed to have disappeared already.

"Yes, blame the _cat_ for your own fault," she rolled her eyes.

"You know she's the main suspect!"

"You know better than to leave your hair ties laying around!" she shot back.

I felt the tug of my own frown at my lips.

Her arms were crossed under her developing chest, lips pursed in a pout, and her foot tapped to a rhythmic beat as she waited. It was then, also, that I noticed we were the only two in the room.

_The others must have gone down to breakfast already..._

Sighing, knowing that I had to admit to defeat, I wrapped my hair back into a bun at the base of my skull like usual. I made a quick mental note to by more hair ties later.

"Better?" I asked, utterly annoyed.

"Not by much, but better," she grinned broadly, turning on her toes and heading towards the door.

I reluctantly followed after her with Nix trotting happily at my heels, muttering "_Fliffing brat,_" as I shut the door behind me. I took care of making sure that I didn't catch the feline's tail in the door as I did closed it.

The three of us made our way down the stairs with Sapphira up front. She crossed the room faster than I could have as I paused by the chair I had claimed and gave the cushion a pat.

Nix jumped up on it and meowed at me, "_Have a good first day!_"

"Be a good girl while I'm gone," I told her, scratching her ears before jogging over to where my friend stood, waiting. "Ready?"

"Funny, I was about to ask you the same," she raised an amused brow at me.

"You're so _not_ funny."

We passed through the doorway and hurried off to the area of the moving staircases. We dashed down them with ease, waving breathless greetings towards the paintings that called out to us.

"I'm surprised that none of them have moved yet," Sapphira said.

When she finished speaking, just as we stepped onto the final set of steps before the hall leading to the Great Hall, it shuttered like an earthquake coming to life beneath us and began its migration to another direction. I clung to the railing, taking note that Sapphira squeaked and nearly slid passed me on her rump.

"_Sapphira!_" I reached out, grabbing hold of her robe. My teeth gritted as I struggled to keep my grip on both her and the stone rail. My side ached with the sudden activity. "You just _had _to open your big mouth, didn't you?!"

"Don't let go!" she cried, trying to climb back up to me.

"I wasn't planning to!" I snapped at her.

I used all the strength in my left arm to help her enough to reach my legs. She crawled up to my waist, wrapping her arms around me, and clung tightly. I held one arm around her and the other on the rail until the moaning case of stairs finally met its new position with a _crash_.

I heaved a heavy sigh as I let my dominant arm fall from the stone to my lap. My knuckles had turned white, and there were a couple red markings on my skin from the awkward way I held onto the rail.

Sapphira trembled against my side, burying her face into my robes, "_That was terrifying..._"

I sat for a moment with her, combing my fingers through her curly hair soothingly, "Indeed it was, so let's get off these stairs before they decide to move again, yeah?"

She looked up at me, nodding tightly.

I got to my feet, then I helped pull her to a stand. Her legs were all wobbly, and she nearly fell a few times as we finished our way down to the solid balcony, where she finally collapsed to her knees.

For a moment, I thought she was going to start kissing the ground and talk about how much she loved it.

"I'm surprised that you... never experienced the... migration before," I looked down at her, leaning breathlessly against the cool stone wall. I pulled the hair tie out, and as I went to fix it back to a ponytail, the band snapped. "Bloody _hell._"

_That's not a good sign,_ I groaned, irritated already.

"Well..." she, too, was still trying to catch her breath, "I usually... make it to one of... the balconies... before it does."

"Lovely..." I chuckled a bit, sticking the broken band into the pocket hidden amongst the folds of my pleated, plaid skirt colored with black and blue. "Glad that I was... there for your first experience."

"Oh, ha, ha..." she glared up at me then coughed raggedly.

I inhaled a deep breath, forcing my breathing to calm itself down. I bent down, holding my hand out to her, "C'mon, Saph. Let's go get some food."

"Alright," she took my hand, and I pulled her to her feet once more. "And thanks, by the way. For not letting me slid down the stairs."

"What are friends for?" I raised an amused eyebrow at her, a teasing smile graced my lips, "Besides, I wouldn't want to hearing you complaining about how your rump was sore all day!"

"_Brat!_" she weakly shoved me away by my arm.

I laughed and jogged towards the intersection, "Come _on,_ woman!"

"Ugh!" she groaned, hurrying to catch up.

We continued on towards our original destination, moving from hall to hall until we reached the large, dark oak doors. It was already open for the students to enter, which was exactly what we did.

The four long tables for each house were nearly filled to the brim with students, fledglings and upperclassmen. The smell of the varieties of food made my stomach growl with hunger, warning me that if I didn't fill my belly soon then it might start eating itself instead.

"Well, well, if it isn't my favorite dynamic duo," a familiar male voice called out, one that made me smile the moment I heard it. "Sapphira Crane and Felicity Lumen."

I turned towards a boy donned in Gryffindor robes as he made his way over to us. His hair was a nice shade of brown that wasn't too overbearing, and it somewhat reminded me of the color of oak tree bark. He had a pair of light brown eyes with green and golden flecks dancing in them. His whole persona gave off a natural, earthy feel about him. It was a homey sense, where I always felt safe with him around.

"_Mason!_" I squealed in delight, launching myself into his arms. I threw my own arms around his neck, clinging to him without a care as to how many people decided to stare. "It's been for_ever!_"

He wrapped his strong arms around my waist, pressing me against his taller form as I buried my nose against his shoulder, breathing in the forest through his scent, "Well, it's only been a few months of summer, love."

I wiggled happily against him, nuzzling my head against his jaw. He knew how much I enjoyed being called _love, _and that had been my pet name from him since our first-year together when we met in the train compartment on the _Hogwarts Express_; he had grown more adorable since the first time we met. He was also the one that reasoned me into becoming closer to Sapphira and appreciate her efforts of trying to create a friendship.

"You've let your hair down?" he asked, pulling away for a moment to examine the uncommon look on me.

I nodded, "Hair tie broke this morning, and Nix stashed the rest somewhere."

"Well, I think it looks very pretty down," he commented, causing an embarrassed blush to stain my cheeks and leaving me speechless.

I was humming merrily at this point when Sapphira laughed at us, "Alright, love birds, back up some so I could give him some hugging!"

I narrowed my eyes playfully at her, "But... but... _mine!_"

"You have to share sometime, love," he told me, resting his cheek against my head and stroking my hair with his fingers. "Sharing is caring, you know."

"And I cared about sharing since... when exactly?" I looked up at him.

"True enough," he chuckled, "but I do have to give Sapphira a greeting, too."

I puffed out my cheeks in a pout but stepped away from him. My two friends embraced tightly, involving a squeak to escape from Sapphira when he squeezed her in a bear hug. I couldn't help but smile at the two of them as I watched.

"So, Mason," I laced my fingers together behind my back as they separated from their hug, "will you be sitting with us today?"

"Well, of course." He raised a brow, "I've been sitting with you two for breakfast since... the beginning pretty much."

"Great!" Sapphira grinned. "You can tell us all about your summer! Oh, and you're joining Quidditch again this year, right?"

A cocky smile twitched at his lips, mischievousness sparkling in his eyes, "How could Gryffindor win without their best Chaser, Saph?"

"Yeah," I nodded my agreement. "That's why Angelina is still there!"

Mason gave me a_ look _that told me he was unamused as Sapphira and I erupted into laughter. He merely shook his head at us, turning his back to us as he walked over to our usual spot at the Ravenclaw table. We quickly followed after him, giggling here and there on the way.

"Oh, you know that I'm just having my fun, Mace," I patted his hand, giving him a reassuring smile as I took my seat next to the pouting boy.

He rolled his eyes, propping his elbow on the table and resting his chin in his palm, but his corners of his mouth tilted upwards, "Yeah, yeah, I know."

"So, what did you do over the summer?" Sapphira questioned as the three of us began to fill our plates with the morning delicacies.

"Well, I spent time with my brothers and practiced Quidditch with them," he shrugged. "What about yourself?"

"Fliss spent most of the summer at my house again," she smirked. "Not that I mind at all. Actually, my mother's grown so use to having her around during the breaks that if she weren't to show up, she might go off calling the DMLE, 'Where's my other daughter?! Where is my Felicity?!'"

I nearly choked on my _Cheeri Owls_ from her perfect imitation of her mother, reaching out and glugging down some of the fresh milk that had filled in my chalice. After coughing once or twice, I threw an unrealistic glare at her, "It's not _my_ fault that your mother adores me so much! I don't even _do_ anything!"

"_Pfft!_" she snorted disbelievingly. "You always offer to help her with the dishes and such. She can't wait to have you over again this winter!"

"You're mental!" I retorted, feeling laughter bubble inside me. "I always have to wrestle your brother off me every time I come over."

"Watch it, love," Mason pointed his spoon at me. "Derek is coming to Hogwarts next year, and so is Dominic."

"Oh, _Great Merlin,_" I whined, allowing my head to fall against the wooden surface of table, "I'm not only going to have to deal with Sapphira's brother, but _yours_, too, Mace? What kind of horrific thing did I do to deserve this kind of punishment?"

I could heard the stifled chuckles from the two as the spoke, smiles clear in their voice, "You became our friend!"

"You're too cruel..." I groaned. _Though, sometimes I do wish that I had a younger brother, or maybe even an older one. Pity that my mother was too busy with her travels, and my father was a muggle that already passed way_.

Something poked at my shoulder, but I figured it was merely Sapphira trying to catch my attention. At least, I thought it was until a young boy's voice spoke instead, "Um... Are y-you alright, miss?"

_That voice..._

I jolted upwards, whirling on the bench to find the boy from last night standing before me. He jumped back a couple steps, startled, but then he gave me a shy smile and a wave.

"Oh, hello!" I greeted him merrily. "How are you?"

"I believe I asked you first," he chuckled nervously.

"I'm fine," I smiled softly. "You're... Hayden Howel, aren't you?"

His eyes widened in surprise, "How did you...?"

"I've got plenty of sources around here," I winked, earning a light blush to streak across his cheeks.

"That, and she got Robert to tell her," Sapphira giggled beside me.

"Hush up, you!" I batted at her arm before turning back to the boy, smiling sweetly. "Anyway, sweetheart, if there's anything you need, don't be afraid to come ask me, alright?"

He nodded, "Yes, ma'am."

"Good boy," I reached up and ruffled his shockingly soft hair. I looked over to Sapphira, "Well, let's finish up breakfast so we could get to class. I can't wait to see Professor Snape!"

"You actually _want_ to go to his class?" Hayden stared at me with bewilderment in his eyes. "He frightens me quite a bit."

"He's not all that bad," I waved aimlessly then patted the empty seat beside me, which he obediently sat at. "You just have to know how he ticks."

"In any case," Mason told him with a short laugh as I returned to eating my cereal, "if he gets too strict on you, let him know that you're friends with Felicity. She's his _favorite _student." The sarcasm in his voice was painfully obvious.

"_Hey!_" It was my turn to jab my spoon in his direction. "It took me a good week to get my title!"

He rolled his eyes at me despite the smile on his face. Hayden chuckled as Sapphira spoke up, "Oh, I remember how much you tortured that poor man! You would wait just the right moment for him to get close enough before you made your potions blow up in his face."

"Or when you asked him if he would eventually grow _claws_ from his _crabby attitude_." Mason laughed.

"Those had been such wonderful memories," I smiled dreamily. "I wonder what I can do to tick off Snape this year..."

"You really _are_ mean to him," Hayden's mouth fell agape.

"Oh, it's just fun," I nodded reassuringly. "He really is a nice teacher after you warm up to him. He helps me with some spells when I ask about them, especially about DADA."

"Oh, he's been wanting that position for ages," Mason groaned.

"_DADA?_" the boy asked curiously, tilting his head.

"Defense Against the Dark Arts," Sapphira stated smoothly.

"I have to admit though," I felt my brows raise slightly as I looked at the three of them, "he_ is_ rather amazing in the subject. I'm surprised that he hasn't gotten it yet."

"He's got darkness oozing off his persona, Fliss!" Sapphira said.

"He's just rough around the edges," I defended casually, bringing my bowl to my lips and sipping the rest of its contents. I set the emptied bowl back on the table and stood up, "C'mon, Saph. Let's head to class."

"Alrighty then," she replied, getting up and grabbing her toast. She gave a light nod to each of the boys, "It was a pleasure meeting you, Hayden, and it was nice to see you again, Mason."

"It's been grand seeing the both of you again," he laughed. "Let me know how Potions with Snape goes!"

"Absolutely!" I grinned at him from over my shoulder. "Also, it was lovely to see you again, Hayden."

The boy blushed at my acknowledgment of him, giving a bright smile and enthusiastic nod. I had to force myself to walk away from the two before I decided to pounce him and smother him in a bone-crushing hug.

Sapphira followed after me, linking her arm with mine as we headed towards the door, "I think he might fancy you, Fliss."

"Who, _Hayden?_" I asked curiously. "He's only a fledgling. I have no interest in younger males, and I suspect that he doesn't even know what a crush _is_."

"Not the first-year!" she batted at my arm, a knowing smile stretched on her lips. "I'm talking about_ Mason_."

I stopped dead in my tracks in the middle of the hallway, staring at her, "_What?_ I highly doubt that!" Despite my words, I could feel a rush of blood flood to my cheeks.

"Well, we _are_ hitting puberty," she joked, but there was a glint of mischievousness in her mossy eyes as she took a bite from her toast. "I'm sure that _Mason_ at least knows what a crush is by now."

"You're a bloody brat!" I bristled, feeling my face burn with heat and my body stiffen.

She burst into a fit of laughter, "Oh, you should've seen you're _face! _It was price—"

A blur rushed past by me, knocking Sapphira against me. With her sudden weight colliding against me, I fell back against the stone wall. I hissed at the pain that scratched against my back as I slid down the wall under the added weight to the floor. I roared in the direction that the creature went, "Watch where you're bloody going!"

A pair of heads turned back to look at me; one was a redhead and the other was a brunet, both were male. I recognized the familiar features of a Weasley to know that one of them was the youngest boy of the family, Ronald. The dark-haired one wore glasses, but his scar was in plain view to prove that it was the Potter boy. They both shouted out an apology that I didn't care for.

I shot a cold glare towards the both of them, "Run along before I get her off me, hang you by your toes, and skin you _alive!_"

They stiffened before dashing off to wherever they had been heading towards before I snapped at them. I felt myself growl, _Good riddance!_

I looked down at Sapphira, noticing how she had yet to say anything let alone _move _since she landed on me. I felt myself stiffen at the sight of her dilated pupils with a thin, green ring that had darkened her mossy irises to a deep emerald. Her lips were parted, and she seemed to have frozen in time. Her toast was long forgotten on the floor.

"_Oh, Merlin, she's having a vision..._" I heard my voice mutter but couldn't quite feel the words leaving my lips. I pulled the smaller girl onto my lap, wrapping my arms around her, then started to rock back and forth gently. It had been a trick her mother told me about during our first winter break together. "It's alright. Take all the time you need. I'll be right here with you."


	5. Chapter 4

It felt like an hour, but I assumed that only five minutes had passed. A few students had passed by, curiously eying me as I held my friend before the upperclassmen walking with them muttered to them about a girl in the school having_ freeze frames_. Others that were more considerate would ask if she was alright, but I would just tell them the same thing: she forgot to eat this morning.

That's what we had decided to call it.

_Freeze frames._

Her body would freeze as though time had stopped her in that exact moment. It was much like Professor Trelawney, who was actually her aunt from her mother's side. They were both seers, but Sapphira preferred to call them _freeze frames,—_it had been originally a name I had called it once during class when people would stare at her—so that other students wouldn't come up to her in an attempt to get their future read for them.

Eventually, Hagrid, with Mason and Hayden right behind him, had come stomping down the hall in a rush towards us. I assumed that he heard about what happened from the gossip of other students. The grizzly of a man looked me over, but he didn't dare attempt to come any closer other than two feet away from me, before he asked, "What happened, Felicity?"

"Harry Potter and his Weasley friend bumped into her a few minutes ago as they were rushing down the hall," I spat bitterly as I clutched the girl in my arms protectively, sending a glare to my friends. Hagrid and Mason knew it wasn't an attempt to be hostile towards them, but not a single one of them made a move to take her away from me. "She's been like this since then. I don't know which one caused it."

As soon as I finished my report, she relaxed against me. I looked down to see her pupils shrinking back to their usual size and her eyes lightening to the bright green they originally were, but I couldn't help other than to tense at the fear in them as she stared back at me. Her lip trembled, and her body started to shake. She only said, hoarsely, one thing before she blacked out:

"_Things are going to be getting a lot more interesting at Hogwarts..._"

"I'll take her to the infirmary, if you'll let me," Hagrid said gently, holding his arms out to me.

I stared at him for a long moment, allowing the concern to be visible in my own eyes as I nodded to him silently.

Mason approached me carefully, resting a hand on my shoulder, "Hey, I'll go with him and explain what happened, alright? I'll come get you as soon as she wakes up."

"Alright," I replied, not bothering to spare him a glance as he wrapped an arm around my shoulders and pulled me closer to him. I stared at her sleeping face._ Her visions always have taken a toll on her, but it's usually only a minute for her to wake back up from them... I wonder what she saw this time..._

I was so wrapped up in my thoughts that I only faintly heard Mason telling Hayden to walk me to my first period and explaining to him where it was. The younger boy nodded, his usually shy features growing determined as he took my hand and led me down the hall in the direction I had been walking with Sapphira to begin with.

As I heard their footsteps grow more distant, I snapped myself from the daze I had fallen in. I shook my head to find that Hayden had paused to look at me with worry filling his silvery eyes.

I smiled thinly to him, ruffling his hair, "I'm alright."

"I'm still going to make sure that you get to your class alright," he told me.

I felt a short laugh escape my lips after I examined the pure determination etched into his features. I held my hand out to him, "Fine, fine. Lead the way then."

"This way," he grinned broadly, taking my hand again. We walked a few more feet in silence before he finally asked, "So, what happened to your friend..."

"Sapphira," I finished for him. "She has these things that everyone calls _freeze frames_. Don't worry, though, you'll get use to them happening. They don't occur very often, but it does get scary when you see how she gets during them."

"Is that why you got so protective?"

"Of course," I nodded automatically. "She's a close friend of mine."

The rest of the walk was in a comfortable silence. After a few long halls and some turns at the intersections, we made it in front of Professor Snape's classroom. The doors were shut, but I could still hear his monotone voice clearly through the thick wood that separated us from him.

I could sense the tension radiating from Hayden as he stood bravely next to me. _I guess the kid really is intimidated by the old vampyre_.

"Hey," I told him, glancing down at his shorter form, "I'll be fine from here. Why don't you hurry on off to class?"

To my surprise, he shook his head, tightening his grip slightly on my hand, "I told you that I was going to see you to class, and that's exactly what I'm going to do."

"Alright then," I shrugged casually, trying to push away the smile on my lips. I closed my free hand into a fist and rapped against the large door's surface.

_Knock, knock._

"_Come in,_" Snape's muffled tone went from bored to annoyed easily.

Hayden flinched, releasing my hand and tucking himself behind me instead.

_He's so cute. _I grinned to myself._ I'm happy that I decided to adopt this one_.

I pushed the door open enough to peek my head in and give him a cheeky smile, adding a cheeriness to my tone, "Well, good _morning,_ Professor!"

It was clear that he had to force himself to stifle the urge to groan in frustration at the sight of me, "Good morning, Miss Lumen. Would you care to explain why you're late my class?"

I strode into the class, walking straight up to the irritated instructor. I knew I had eyes on me because not only had I grown famous for teasing Snape, but I had a little follower with me today. I leaned slightly closer to the tall man, whispering, "_Sapphira had a __**freeze frame**__ today._"

"Very well," he grumbled. He craned his neck a bit to see the fledgling behind me, raising a brow at the boy, "You can go to your seat as long as you rid yourself of... _that_."

"_Pfft,_" I snorted at him, rolling my eyes. I turned to face Hayden, patting him on the head, "Go on ahead to class. I'll talk to you later."

He gave me a grateful smile before hurrying off to whatever class he had going on. I turned back to Snape with a polite smile, lacing my hands behind my back innocently.

His features showed that he was unamused, "What are you waiting for, Miss Lumen? Get to your seat."

"Yes, sir," I nodded, turning my back to him once more and skipping down the aisle to where my seat had been since last year. It was near the back of the class so that Snape could keep an eye on me and I wouldn't be able to distract the class as easily with my face-making in an attempt to make him laugh during class, which never worked with his endless deadpan expression.

I glanced around the room to see if I could make out any familiar faces. My eyes bounced about the room, taking in the different color schemes of each house until they landed on a set of redheads to my right.

I flinched when one of their sets of mirrored brown eyes landed on mine. One nudged the other, and I realized that I had made eye contact with George as they both looked at me. A playful smile spread on their identical features before they turned towards each other to whisper something.

As Snape turned his back to the class to scribble words upon the green chalkboard, Fred hopped from his table with his brother to the empty seat beside me, where Sapphira usually sat.

A twinge of sadness ached my heart when I thought about how we weren't going to be able to spend the first class of the year together. I looked down quietly at the surface of my desk, not bothering to spare the Weasley next to me a glance. Even the sight of them made my scar itch irritably.

It was then that a notebook with surprisingly neat words written on it slid into my vision. I blinked at it for a moment, considering whether or not it was actually there, before I _did_ look at the twin next to me. I tilted my head, furrowing my brows in slight confusion.

He leaned his head closer to mine, whispering lowly in hopes that the Potions instructor wouldn't hear, "_George is taking notes for us to copy down later, so I figured you could use mine to catch up._"

"That's..." I was astounded that the two of them even _took_ notes. I frowned, pushing the notebook back towards him, "_Thanks, but no thanks, Weasle._"

"**_Look,_**" he sighed, forcing my eyes to meet his brown ones. He had a serious expression on his face as he told me, "_I know that you don't like us, and I know you what nothing to do with us, but we also know that you take notes very seriously. You're a studious person._"

I felt my jaw tighten as I listened to him.

"_We even have the notes __**color-coated**__,_" he added with a lopsided grin of amusement, pushing the notebook closer to me again, "_just how you like them_."

_How did they know that I color-coated my notes?_ I felt myself flinch at his words. My eyes flicker over to the other twin to find him fiercely scribbling down the words as Snape spoke. "Um... _Thank you, Fred. That's very sweet of you._"

He shrugged casually, a polite smile twitching his lips.

I pulled out my own notebook, flipped it open, and quickly scribbled down the notes he had taken. I hesitated for a moment, but I glanced at him from the corner of my eye, "_Would... would it be alright if I copied down George's notes after class...?_" I added hurriedly, "_I want to be able to give them to Sapphira, too, is all._"

"_That shouldn't be a problem,_" he told me as I returned to focusing on transferring the words from his parchment to my own. "_I'm sorry about your friend._"

"_Gossip spreads fast, huh?_" I asked bitterly.

"_Yeah, but that's not how I know about it,_" he said. "_I saw you with her in the hall. I was going to offer to help until I saw how you glared down the others._"

I shrugged, "_I don't like people much._"

_"Believe me, I know,_" he chuckled lightly. I shot him a glare, shoving the notebook back to him, but he raised his hands in defense. "_I didn't mean to offend._"

"_I know, I'm sorry._" I sighed. "_I'm just a little tense is all._"

"_Don't worry. I get it,_" I flinched when his hand rested on my shoulder. He chuckled, "_Besides, you must really be in a slump if you actually __**apologised**__ to me._"

As he grabbed his notebook and ducked back over to his seat next to George when Snape was scolding a student in the front right corner of the room, I couldn't help but wonder... _When did Fred become so considerate towards how I felt? Also, he hadn't used a single one of his stupid nicknames for me_.

_Smack!_

"...to _not_ pay attention!" Snape's voice echoed next to me after I released a mouse-like squeak at the sound of his ruler slamming down against the desk's surface. "Miss Lumen..." he narrowed his eyes at me, "are _you_ feeling unwell like your absent friend? Maybe you should go down to the infirmary to get yourself checked."

I shook my head, tucking it between my hunched shoulders, "No, sir, I'll be alright. I'm sorry."

He stared at me for a long moment, furrowing his brows. I was unable to read his expression, but I assumed that he might have been questioning as to my lack of being a smart-alec towards him today.

Nonetheless, he returned to the front of the room to continue on with his lesson. I barely paid much attention to it still, but he left me alone after I apologized the first time.

As soon as first period was over, I would have bolted out of my seat if it had not been for a hand snaking my wrist. I impatiently whirled around, about ready to smack the person, until I saw that it was George, "Yes?"

"Fred told me that you wanted to borrow the notes," he smiled a bit, holding the notebook out of me. "He copied down our own set while I was focused on Snape."

I glanced down that the black leather-bound book for a moment before taking it from him, "Thank you so much, George. Tell Fred that I said the same. Now if there's nothing else, I really must be—"

"Going," he finished for me, nodding understandingly. "Go ahead. Let us know how she's feeling, and tell her that we hope she gets well soon."

I gave him a brief smile then turned on the balls of my feet and sprinted down towards the infirmary tower. It was a good thing that people separated themselves to get out of my way as I sprinted through the hall, clutching the twins' notebook tightly against my chest, because I would have just plowed through them all if they hadn't.

I burst through the door, nearly knocking Madam Pomfrey with her tray of potions and medications. I threw a rushed apology over my shoulder as I ran over to where Sapphira was sitting up in bed.

It took all of my will to stop myself from lunging at her to gather her in a hug. Instead, I sighed and panted out, "Oh, I'm so glad that you're alright."

"Wow, Mason works quickly," her eyes widened at me.

"I came right after class." I told her. "You scared the daylights out of me!"

"Sorry, Fliss," she replied sheepishly. "I can't help it when it comes to these visions."

"So," I took a seat at the edge of her bed, ignoring the chair placed beside it, "what did you see?"

"It's the _strangest_ thing..." her brows furrowed, and her hand raised to touch the tips of her fingers against her forehead. "I can't seem to remember much of it."

"Hn?"

"All that I can keep a grasp on is a few words and images that stuck out," she met my gaze, worry filling her eyes. "Everything else is just darkness."

"Well, what are the words?" I asked her. "Maybe we can piece them together."

"Harry Potter, Professor Quirrell, Hagrid, and..." she listed before leaning closing to whisper in my ear, "_You-Know-Who._"

I stiffened.

"Did I say anything to you before I fainted?" she asked, apparently wanting to change the subject slightly.

I thought for a moment before nodding, "Yeah, you said, '_Things are going to be getting a lot more interesting at Hogwarts..._'"

"_Dammit!_" she cursed, slamming her enclosed fist down on the mattress. Her eyes shut tightly in frustration. "Why can't I remember?!"

"Calm yourself, Sapphira," I told her, softening my gaze as I rested my hand over hers. "Maybe you just need some more rest. Your mind might just be too tired right now."

She sighed heavily, the exhaustion becoming clearer in her features after doing so, "Maybe you're right..." She looked at me tiredly. Dark circles were starting to form under her eyes as though she had been sleepless for days. "Madam Pomfrey and Dumbledore ordered me to bed rest for the day, anyway. I'll be allowed to leave at dinner. Promise to visit me later?"

"Promise," I smiled to her, holding up the smallest finger on my hand.

She stared at me for a moment before giggling and linking her pinky with mine, "It's a pinky promise then."

"Of course."

"Alright," she let her hand fall to her lap and leaned back against the fluffed up pillows behind her. "Go on to class. You have Herbology next, don't you?"

I pulled the folded parchment that happened to be my schedule for this term out from the pocket of my skirt and looked down at it, nodding, "Yeah."

"Hey, what's that?"

I looked up at her curiously, "What's what?"

She nudged her chin at me, eyes staring at my lap, "_That._"

I followed her gaze to find the black notebook on my lap, "Oh, that's the Weasley twins' notebook. They lent it to me after class so I could copy down the notes that I missed."

"You're becoming friendly with the _Weasles?_" she asked, mocking my usually disgusted tone when I'd say the nickname I came up for the duo. When I glanced at her, she seemed a bit surprised, "_Wow, _Fliss."

"I am _not_ becoming friendly with those idiots," I rolled my eyes. "Don't mistake politeness for affection."

"Maybe they fancy you!" she waggled her brows at me, giving a wink, "Oh, my, my, my, Felicity. First Mason, now the twins! You're going to have the boys falling all over you once those curves set in!"

My cheeks burned, "Will you put a sock in it, woman?! What's gotten into you with all this 'fancying' stuff? Do _you_ fancy someone?!"

She turned her head away, suddenly becoming more interested in what's going on out the window.

"You _do?_" I felt my mouth fall agape, eyes nearly bulging out of my skull. "Why haven't you told me?!"

"Oh, you would have never approved, though," she puffed her cheeks out at me, narrowing her own eyes.

"_Pfft!_" I snorted at her. "I highly doubt that."

"You're going to laugh at me," she added in an attempt to get me to back off the topic.

I pushed on anyway, "Probably, but you know it's only out of love."

She stared at me for a long moment before mutter out a name under her breath.

"What?" I leaned closer, cupping my hand against my ear.

She murmured slightly louder, but I still couldn't understand what she was trying to say.

"_What?_" I repeated.

She gave out a frustrated groan, "**_Cedric Diggory!_**"

"**_Pretty boy?!_**" I coughed out a laugh, but I quickly recovering myself when she shot a glare a my way.

"_Ugh!_" she crossed her arms, pouting. "I_ knew_ you'd act this way!"

"I'm just surprised!" I bit down on my lip to stop my giggles from making her any angrier. "For a moment, I thought you were going to say _Mason_ or one of those Weasles!"

"What about Mason?" a male's voice caused me to flinch then just break down into a fit of laughter. I could almost feel the strange look he was giving me. "What did you do to her, Saph?"

"You... You _Devil_, Mace!" I choked out between laughs.

"_I_ didn't do anything to her." She glared at me, "She's gone completely mental, that's what happened to her..."

"She's been mental for years," he rolled his eyes.

Sapphira's eyes shot up to his, "Will you just get her out of here so I could rest and she won't be late to class, Mason?"

"Alright then," he shrugged, wrapping an arm around my waist. "C'mon, love."

I clung to the bedding, forcing my laughter to subside, even if it was for just a moment, "I'm sorry, Sapphira! I love you! Don't let him take me down to the dungeon! There's _snakes_ down there!"

She erupted into her own round of giggles as he struggled to pry me off the bed, "Off with her head!"

"_Nooo!_" I cried dramatically, releasing the blankets and tumbling back against him when he tugged at my waist again. "You're a mean queen!"

"Well, of course!" she called as he continued to pull me away from her. "That's the most fun kind to be!"

Madam Pomfrey held her hand over her lips to hide her chuckles at our little act as Mason pulled me towards the door by my wrist. "Have a good day, children."

"Take care of my beloved Sapphira!" I cried out to the nurse, stretching my free hand out towards the girl on the hospital bed. "She's the only one I've got!"

The doors shut as Mason pulled me the last bit through, "You're _such_ a drama queen, Fliss."

"Hey," I instantly went into my usual state and shrugged, following behind him as he on down the hall, "at least it put them both in a good mood, you know?"

"So what were you two talking about before I walked over?" he asked curiously, peeking at me from over his shoulder with a raised brow.

"Well, I can't tell you that!" I gasped, widening my eyes and letting my hand fly up to cover my mouth. "It's the code of femininity!"

He turned his attention back to the front, shaking his head, but I noticed that his shoulders bobbed with silent laughter. "Boys, huh?"

I puffed out my cheeks at him, "I plea for my right to be silent!"

"Whatever," he chuckled. He tugged on my wrist, "C'mon, let's get to class before Mrs. Sprout has a fit."

"Alright, alright!" I grinned.

We made it through the halls until we met one of the hundreds of exits to the school. We hurried across the grassy opening to the greenhouse stationed just a few feet away.

Upon entering it, a chill wrapped around my wrist where Mason's hand had been. It was then that I realized that he hadn't released me during the entire trip to the class, and my cheeks burned as a stupid thought that entered my mind, _Maybe he does fancy me a bit?_

"Alright, class," Mrs. Sprout clapped snapping me away from my thoughts. "Let's begin! We're going to be learning about Puffapods today."


	6. Chapter 5

The next day, during breakfast, I walked over to the Gryffindor table with my little pack tailing behind me. Hayden, Mason, and Sapphira were all curious as to how things were going to go about, especially my newly adopted first-year after the other two explained why I was usually bitter towards the twins.

Well, they explained what_ I_ had told them was the reason behind my hatred of them. Mason knew of the fire, but he remained silent towards Sapphira of it. She believed that it was because they had been messing with me over the years.

Four redheads, a brunet, and a girl looked up at me as I approached them. Confusion etched in their expressions as I greeted politely, "Good morning, lady and gents."

"Felicity?" the oldest of the group asked, turning on the bench next to me and raising his brows in surprise. "What are you doing over here? You usually never visit the Gryffindor table. Do you need something from me?"

"Sorry, Percy, I'm not here for you today," I offered a light smile. My gaze traveled to the set of twins sitting across from him, "Actually, I'm here to return something that I borrowed yesterday."

"What's that?" he wondered aloud.

I held the notebook out to the twins, giving each an appreciative nod, "Thank you, boys."

They stared at me with large, brown eyes, synchronizing, "Um... you're welcome?"

"I was able to finish copying them last night, so I figured I'd return it today," I explained.

George's eyes shifted over to Sapphira, "How are you feeling today?"

"I'm doing much better, thank you," she offered a polite curtsey. "I just didn't eat that much for breakfast."

Mason nodded to his housemates, "Yeah, but we got her to eat a good amount today."

"That's good to hear," Fred mimicked his nod before looking at me.

"Wait," the girl of the group spoke up; her hair made the definition of _frizzy_ the understatement of the year. Her brown eyes landed on Sapphira, "You're the girl with the _freeze frames,_ right? I've heard a lot about you from the rumors going around."

"I am," she agreed stiffly, and I could feel her hand grab the back of my robes.

"It sounds fascinating," the girl's eyes sparkled in delight of possibly learning something new. "Would you mind telling me more about it? I can't seem to find anything in books."

"It's actually quite personal..." Sapphira told her, putting a damper on the girl's mood.

"So, Lumen, I see that you've adopted a new one?" Fred butted in before the conversation grew awkward. "I mean, we saw him yesterday, but he scurried out before we got a good look."

Hayden stepped up beside me, offering his hand to the twins, "Hayden Howel."

They exchanged introductions before the girl of the Gryffindor group spoke up again, "Hey, I know you. You're the one that was even later than Ron and Harry for our Transfiguration class yesterday."

I watched as he tilted his head at her for a moment before saying, "Yeah, that was me. You're Hermione Granger, right?"

She nodded, offering her hand and a smile, "A pleasure."

"_Quite,_" he pulled a charming smile, causing her to blush slightly, then took her hand in his and gave it a light shake. "I admire your smarts."

"I..." she was left speechless, and I was also.

_That's certainly not how he was acting yesterday with all his shyness!_

"You know," the fledgling redhead, Ron, looked from Hayden to me, tilting his head as he stuffed his cheeks with breakfast like a chipmunk, "you and him... look kind of alike."

I furrowed my brows at him, "Really?"

"Actually," Percy added, examining both of us for a moment, "you do look alike. It's in the facial features, and your eyes are so close in color. You have that icy blue tone, and he's got a type of bright silver."

I turned my head away from him slightly, feeling a burning sensation grow in my cheeks. _He's paid attention to my eye color? _I mentally slapped myself, forcing the blush away._ Get over yourself, Felicity! You've gotten over him, remember? He belongs to Penelope now!_

"That," Fred started.

"Or you're saying Lumen looks like a boy!" George continued.

"Or the boy looks like a girl!" the first twin finished before they broke into laughter.

I glared at the both of them, placing a protective hand on Hayden's shoulder. I felt a snarl curl at my lips, "Watch your mouths, boys. Remember that I have first class with you. I may be a bit grateful, but that doesn't mean we're even."

"Well, we best be going," Mason tugged at my arm.

I let my eyes travel over the group before settling on the youngest redhead and the boy with glasses. The brunet stared at me curiously before he flinched with recognition, causing my lips to twitch in an amused smile. "And, Potter, I suggest that you and your friend be more careful with running through the halls. Good day, everyone."

"Bye, Felicity," Percy waved, which I returned.

I turned away and walked towards the main entrance of the cafeteria with my group following me. I paused resting my palm against the door's surface before turning to face them, "I'm going to go visit Hagrid before classes. I'll talk to you all later."

"Alright," Mason waved, "we'll see you at lunch then."

"Do you want me to go with you?" Sapphira asked me.

"Are you alright?" Hayden added his own question.

I snorted out a laugh, "I like how only Mace is willing to let me off without questioning. I'm fine. I just need to talk with him about something."

"Hn... Alright," Sapphira agreed as she and the boy nodded. "Just be back soon."

"Promise," I smiled at them before exiting the large room.

I hurried down the dead halls.

No one, not a single student or instructor, was around.

I made my way expertly through the halls until I came to a dead-end at the Gargoyle Corridor, or so it seemed to be one. At the end of the hall was the statue of a type of bird that I couldn't remember the name of. I walked down to it, standing behind the right curved wing of the stone bird.

"_Sherbert Lemon,_" I said, looking towards the ceiling.

The floor vibrated under my feet for a moment, then I started moving upwards. I looked down to find that a slowly ascending circular staircase was growing out of the ground below, and I happened to be on the second step to the top.

It was a short ride before I met a large circular room with many windows and many portraits of old headmasters and headmistresses. The portrait of the immediate predecessor of the current headmaster or headmistress hung behind the head's large desk that sat under a balcony. It was the largest of the paintings in the room, which, in turn, suggested that the paintings shrunk by some degree once it was no longer the portrait of the immediate predecessor of the current headmaster or headmistress. The wall was barely seen behind the many bookshelves that lined them, filled to the brim with different volumes.

"Well, if it isn't Felicity Lumen!" a voice sounded from above me, causing me to look up to find the Sorting Hat sitting comfortably at his spot on one of the shorter bookcases. "What do we owe the honor?"

"I came to retrieve Fluffy's food from Dumbledore," I nodded the old hat. "It's my turn for feeding duty."

"Ah, I see," he flailed his ribbons slightly, but it looked more like a nonexistent breeze had merely brushed past them. "You best be careful with that beast, girl."

I waved him off, "Fluffy is sweet on me. I'm the one that gave him the name after all."

"Of course..."

"Well," an even older and more powerful voice interrupted on the conversation, "hello, Felicity. How are you?"

I looked up to find Dumbledore standing at the balcony, hands resting against the rail as he stared down at me. I smiled up at him, "I'm doing well, and yourself, sir?"

"I'm doing just fine," he returned with a warm smile of his own. "You said you were on feeding duty?"

"Yes, sir," I nodded, walking over to the old red phoenix sitting on a bird stand next to the desk. I stroked the bird's beak as he pushed it fondly against my palm, "Fawkes seems to be molting more and more every time I come to visit."

The old man nodded solemnly, "Indeed, he is."

"Poor boy," I stated, staring at the bird. "Growing old, dying, being reborn, and growing old again. A cycle that'll never end."

"It's a role that he plays in life," Dumbledore told me, appearing at my side. He maneuvered to his desk, which had parchments scattered messily about, and opened a drawer, retrieving a small pouch from it. "I took the liberty of shrinking it already for you."

"Thank you, sir," I took the pouch, stuffing it into my pocket. "If that is all, I'll dismiss myself."

"Be careful, Felicity," he said as I returned towards the staircase.

As the stairs started shrinking back after I hopped on the steps, I smirked at the older man, "How many times do I have to tell you people? Fluff's got a soft spot for me."

I jogged down the rest of the stone steps and hopped down on the flat surface of the hall. I hurried back down where I originally came from, but instead of returning to the Great Hall, I walked down toward the corridor of the moving staircases.

As I approached the bright room, I observed the cases for a few moments before I stepped onto the first set of steps. I made my way through them easily compared to yesterday.

_Dear Merlin, that was awful,_ I shivered at the memory, rubbing my right arm, where a tender bruise had made its home on my skin, as I stepped onto the platform. I stared at the door that led to the_ forbidden_ room that Dumbledore declared no one to enter through._ Alright, let's get the pretty boys some yum-yums_.

I opened the door and entered, making sure that it was shut behind me. Flames came to life, allowing light to flood the dark area with a _foosh_. As I continued further down the hall, more flames lit themselves up until I got to the wooden door.

I attempted the handle, giving it a firm tug, but it remained locked.

_Good,_ I thought, _that means no one's tried getting in_.

I pulled out my wand, which was a twelve and a half inch stick crafted from rowan wood with a twisted handle and silver designs engraved throughout the length. It's core was a phoenix feather—it made Ollivander quite interested in what kind of person I would become since my mother's wand had the core of a dragon's heartstrings.

I tapped the iron circle of a handle, speaking clearly, "_Alohomora._"

There was a _pop_, and the door unlocked.

I walked through, shutting the door behind me once again, and looked at the great sleeping beast before me. "Good morning, boys."

The large, black three-headed dog stirred into awakening, raising its heads as it started to stand. It was humungous. The large three sets of nostrils surrounded me, taking in my scent as the dogs breathed it into their lungs.

I rested my palm against the middle head's nose, "Hello, my darlings. How are you?"

There was a low, non-threatening growl that escaped them as recognition filled their gazes.

"I've got a treat for you, boys."

They pulled away from me, each giving out a booming bark of curiosity. The six eyes watched me as I retrieved out the pouch Dumbledore had given me as their feet started to pad against the stone floor.

I extracted three t-bone steaks that all fit in my palm. I placed them along the ground in a single, horizontal line. I tapped each one once before I said, "_E__xpansio._"

The steaks grew to sizes bigger than myself.

"One at a time," I ordered the dogs, pointing my wand at them when they went to charge for the food. "Left."

The head on the farthest to the left slowly reached down, watching my with caution in his eyes as he opened his mouth and scooped up the meat closest to it.

"Middle."

The head in the middle followed in suit.

"Right."

The right head did as well.

"I'll come to check on you guys later. It'll probably be after my third or fourth class," I nodded to them, ducking out the door as they chomped away at their food. I knew they didn't pay attention to a single word I said, but it was better off to at least warn them.

I walked down the hall again, the flames lighting up then going out on their own as I did. I peeked out the door and scanned the area for anyone to be lingering about.

Nothing.

_Perfect_.

I stepped out from behind the door, pushing it shut with my foot. I laced my hands behind my back, glancing about innocently to make sure that someone hadn't appeared out of thin air. I made my way towards Snape's class, whistling as thought nothing had happened.


	7. Chapter 6

Mason walked me to Sprout's Herbology class. We had to transfer the screaming baby Mandrakes from one planting pot to another. The horrifying screams nearly made my sensitive ears explode, even with the power of earmuffs protecting me, before I had stuffed the fat plant child into the brown pottery and buried its screams with dirt.

While the others listened in on the lesson, I had to step out of the greenhouse for a moment, which, of course, meant that Mason was going to glue himself to my side to make sure that I was alright. Once class was dismissed, Cedric from Hufflepuff handed me some folded parchment with the day's notes on them, which I thanked him graciously for.

I flew through Transfiguration with McGonagall easily, earning praise from the stern-looking professor for my ability to turn a rat into a goblet. She allowed me to go through and help a few of the Hufflepuffs that were failing. Some of the Slytherins teased me, but a couple secretly asked for help or notes.

Potions with Snape passed quickly with me making silly comments to him, as per usual. Sapphira had to bury her giggles in the thick textbook we shared. The twins would raise their brows at me from time to time in surprise that I could be just as playful and pranking as they could. I really hadn't spoken to them since this morning, but I didn't mind one bit. They can keep their distance from me, and I'll keep mine from them. Their presence still irked me when the memory of last year's fire lit aflame in my memory, boiling my blood when I'd catch them looking at me.

Professor Quirrell's Defense Against the Dark Arts class got interrupted by Professor McGonagall when she pulled Oliver Wood out of the class. I found out later, through whispering to him from my seat across the aisle from him, that he was asked to train Harry Potter for his Quidditch team. A Hufflepuff girl next to me had gasped in delight, so I assumed later throughout the day that the whole school would know about it.

Divination with Professor Trelawney was amusing, as always, with her gliding about the room in her rather colorful hippie outfit. Her big, round glasses maximized her dark green eyes when she'd get excited about one of the subjects. Sapphira would giggle at her aunt's dramatic ways, causing the professor to smile at her. We mainly talked about the way to pick out hidden messages from visions, which my blond friend took down heavily detailed notes about.

Once my break period finally rolled around, I told my friends that I had to speak to Dumbledore about something before I scurried away to the corridor of the moving staircases. I sneaked up to the third floor once again and slipped through the door easily.

I hurried down the dark hall, flames growing then dying as I sped down to the doorway at the end. I hopped up the two steps and tapped the handle, whispering a quick, "_Alohomora._"

The lock clicked out of place, and, as I reached for the handle, I heard a threatening growl come from inside, warning trespassers to beware. I slowly pulled the door open, taking note of the bristled stance that Fluffy was in. All heads were bowed towards the ground, the left and right ones growling while the middle snarled at me.

"Down, boys!" I commanded, furrowing my brows at them. "What's gotten into you three?"

At the sound of my voice, the dogs relaxed and whimpered their apology. The heads surrounded me as they had earlier, and I stroked each one of their velvet muzzles as they whined. I noticed that their eyes could continuously glance at the door behind me.

I held the middle one's head between my arms, locking gazes with him, "Did someone come in here, boy?"

There was a growl that rumbled in his throat, one that I knew wasn't directed towards me, which quickly faded into a pitiful whine of apology. He nudged my torso with his damp nose, watching me with big eyes that reminded me of a giant puppy.

"No, you aren't in trouble," I reassured with a smile. "I bet you scared them off easily."

The entire body jumped back with a chorus of thunderous barks. I wobbled as the ground shook beneath me when his body started to wiggle around.

"Alright, alright!" I shouted, clinging to the wall. "Calm yourselves down!"

Fluffy laid down on his stomach, three tongues panted out doggy breaths as he watched me for a long moment before sounding off another bark my way.

_Oh, sweet Merlin!_ I gagged. _Note to self: yell at Hagrid to brush their teeth once in awhile!_

I rolled my eyes at them, "I'm going to speak with Dumbledore, so I won't see you guys for a couple days. You best behave yourselves and scare away intruders, understand?"

Another round of barks echoed off the walls as I waved to them as slipped back out the door. I returned down the hall but paused when I heard the entrance creak open. Light poured into the darkness of the narrow area before a shadow loomed over it. I quickly ducked behind an old statue covered in cobwebs, which set a fearful shiver down my spine.

I had to bite down on my lip to save myself from nearly screaming as a tiny eight-legged creature spun down in front of me, pausing right between my wide eyes. Its legs clawed at the air as if looking for something to land on. I pressed myself closer against the stone man.

"Who's there?" an older man's voice called down, and I recognized it immediately.

_Oh, thank Godric_.

I stepped away, practically jumping out to get away from the spider, from my hiding spot almost instantly and nodded to the man with a lantern in his hand. A familiar cat with red eyes at his feet watching me as I walked over, "Hello, Mr. Filch."

"Oh, it's only you," he grumbled irritably, causing me to scowl before he looked up with curiosity flickering in his eyes as I approached him. "Say, you weren't wandering this area last period, were you?"

"Not at all." I furrowed my brows in confusion. "I was in my Divination class, why? Was someone in here?"

"I could have sworn someone was in this area," he nodded. His chin jerked down at his beloved cat, "Mrs. Norris here was scratching at the door. She may be an old girl, but her hearing's still good."

"How peculiar..." I wondered aloud, pinching my chin between my thumb and hooked forefinger. "Usually no one comes down here except for you, I, and Hargid."

Filch shrugged his shoulders, "I don't know, girl, but I suggest you scamper out of here before someone catches you. Curious eyes causes a curious mind."

"You're right," I sighed. "I'll be off then. I'll chat with you again sometime. Goodbye, Mr. Filch, Mrs. Norris."

I nodded to both of them, glancing around the bright corridor and noticing that there wasn't anyone around. I hurried off to my History of Magic class with Professor Binns, being careful of the cases when the balconies would signal their movement with a rumble.


	8. Chapter 7

As the month rolled on towards the mid-end, the fledglings grew more accustomed to the ways of Hogwarts. Hayden would linger around the common room with Sapphira and I after everyone else went to bed so we could chatter about what went on in our days privately. He sat with us during our meals in the Great Hall, and he became good friends with Mason, too. I would find them wrestling in the halls or chatting about Quidditch during breakfast.

Soon enough, though, October 19th, came around.

It was a warm Saturday morning despite the leaves changing their colors outside, darkening the barks of trees as the weather grew colder with the shift of seasons.

Hayden watched from his spot on one of the large desks as I hopped on my broomstick, starting to float until I was hovering over the his head in a dusty old classroom I had found during my second year. His eyes watched me with curiosity, "So... what did you need me here for?"

"It's Mason's birthday," I stated plainly, pulling my wand out from the folds of my skirt.

"I know _that,_" he rolled his silver eyes at me. He waved his arm around, gesturing to the room, "I mean, why are we _here?_"

"We, my dear boy," a mischievous smile graced my lips, causing him to look at me with fear as to what was surfing through my mind, "are going to turn this place into a surprise party for him. I got Sapphira to convince him that you and I are sick to our _witts_, so she'll be stalling him all day until it's time."

"Okay..." he nodded slowly, understanding my plan. "But what are we going to do for guests?"

I waved the stick in my hand in a circular motion, "I already got that situated."

"How?" his brows furrowed in confusion.

"Have you forgotten that I'm good friends with the Gryffindor _Prefect?_" I raised an amused brow at him as my broomstick drifted about the room.

"Okay. Last question then."

"Shoot."

"How did you possibly get this room permitted for this?" he asked, crossing his arms.

I tilted my head, curiously, "I just asked Dumbledore, why?"

"So," he pinched the bridge of his nose, looking up at me incredulously, "you just waltzed into his office and asked? Seriously?"

"Yep," I grinned, "and that obviously wasn't your last question before."

"Shut up," he narrowed his eyes at me, pulling his legs up on the desk and folded them into a pretzel-style. "Continue on with your decorations."

"Ah, ah, _ahhh,_" I sing-songed, wagging my wand at him. "You're helping me, you goofball. Why do you think I brought you here in the first place? To sit around and watch me? _Nope!_"

He groaned, "Alright, what am I doing then?"

"Gather the desks, and put them in that trunk over there," I ordered, pointing towards a rather large trunk that Hayden could have been able to curl up inside.

He stared at me, eyes wide, "You expect me to just _carry_ all these desks into that tiny trunk while you float about?!"

"Of course," I smiled down at him. I waved my wand over the long desks that probably hadn't been used since before my own years as a fledgling when I discovered it, "_Reducio._"

All of the desks, including the one that he was sitting on, with their chairs shrank down to about an inch or so in size. Hayden fell to the stone floor with a painful _thump_, which caused me to break into a fit of giggles.

He shot me a deathly glare at me but got up, rubbing his sore rump, and went to gather the tiny objects. To toy with him even more, I whispered out a quick, "_Wingardium Leviosa,_" incantation, bouncing the tip of my wand in the air.

Once he realized that the objects started to float around, he threw me a dirty look. He threatened to take out his own wand, but I pulled a second stick from my pocket, "Oh, you mean _this?_"

"You snatched my bloody wand!" he exclaimed, shock clear on his face.

"Well, _duh,_" I giggled in response, waving my own wand around. "You'll get it back after you've collected the toys. This is punishment for failing Snape's Potions quiz."

"_What?!_" his jaw fell pitifully agape. "How did you—?"

I raised a brow at him, "Forget that I know how to get information from people, darling? Even when it comes to Snaper poo, too." I winked at him playfully.

He muttered under his breath, which I easily heard in the silence of the room, as he turned his back to me, "_Manipulative witch._"

"I love you, too, Hayden," I sang out to him playfully.

As he jumped around in his attempt to catch the tiny objects, he'd shot me a few more unamused glares when I'd move some just out of his reach. After he finally caught them all, he dropped them carelessly into the trunk.

"Now hand over my wand, you brat!" he shouted at me.

I pouted out my lower lip, tossing down his wand, "Oh, now what happened to that shy fledgling I met on the first day of school? I liked him!"

"_He got to know you,_" he grumbled, catching it with ease.

"I think you spend too much time with Mason and Sapphira," I joked, feeling my shoulders twitch with laughter.

"_Pfft._" he snorted at me.

Instead of replying, I shut my eyes and waved my wand over my head, imaging nearly everything in the room with the exception of the large trunk as I called out, "_Reducio!_"

As the objects shrunk to the same size that the desks had, I could feel Hayden's gaze on me as I let loose some of the power behind my magic.

"_Pack!_" I snapped my eyes open, flicking my wrist towards the open trunk.

The tiny objects swarmed towards it like moths to a light. They moved around the boy on their way to their destination, creating a small circle of space around him as they dove into the trunk.

Once it was filled, I flicked my wrist again.

The truck snapped shut, and the lock clicked into place.

"_Whoa,_" Hayden said breathlessly, staring up at me with wide eyes.

"I'm not done yet," I smirked. "Go open that window for me."

He did as he was told, crossing over to the other side of the room. He had to jog up a couple steps, which use to be where the instructor would educate the class before the room had been abandoned. He went over to the window and tried to wiggle it open.

"Add a little force, boy," I laughed. "The last time I was in here for something was last year!"

"Yes, ma'am," he bowed deeply before pushing the window open with his shoulder.

Bright light flooded into the room with a breeze that caused the dust to stirr about from the air. Hayden choked out a cough, sticking his head out to breathe in some fresh air.

"Now..." I lifted my wand. "_Scourgify!_"

The dust from the air and floor began to spin into a small tornado of filth as though the wind took control of it. Hayden dashed over to my side of the room while it gathered itself into a light brown vortex.

Once all the gunk of the room was swirling around, I pointed my wand towards the window, "Begone!"

The tornado of dirt and dust levitated towards the open window, hopping up onto the sill and jumping out. It exploded into a cloud of dust that the breeze pushed away from the castle.

"You're going to have to teach me that spell for my room!" Hayden called from below, breaking into laughter. "My roommates are a mess!"

"Sure thing," I grinned down at him. "Let's finish getting this place cleaned up, though! Sapphira should be bringing Mason in here around three!"

_Knock, knock_.

"_What?!_ They can't be early!" I shrieked, gliding down on my broomstick towards the door. I hopped off it few feet away and broke into a run, "We're not ready yet!"

Hayden jogged up behind me, "Maybe it's not them?"

I cracked the door open, peeking out, and felt my jaw drop, "Oh, _no!_"

"What?" he asked, slight panic raising in his voice. "Who is it?"

"It's far worse than Mason..." I groaned, letting Hayden pull the door open completely to reveal a pair of redheads, donned in a pair of matching green jumpers and dark blue jeans, grinning at me. I glared at them, feeling a snarl twitch at my lips, "What are_ you two_ doing here?"

Having felt the tension rise through me, Hayden wordlessly placed a hand on my arm.

"Oh, don't give us that look," George pouted out his bottom lip, giving off the puppy-dog look with his big brown eyes gazing over me.

Fred mimicked his brother's actions, "We only came to help."

"I don't need your help," I growled, flinging the door to shut in their face and turning my back away to continue with my decorations.

Sadly, I didn't hear the door shut, which meant that a foot had found its way to prevent it from fully closing.

"Sapphira said you'd act that way," one of them said.

"_Sapphira?!_" I snapped, whirling around to face the two. I stared at them with a disbelieving look on my face. "_She's_ the one that told you where I was?!"

"Not at all," Fred chuckled. "She told us to buzz off and find you on our own."

_Now, _I resisted the urge to smile proudly, _that's more like my best friend._

George pulled out a thick piece of parchment, "This did, though."

I furrowed my brows in confusion, snatching the parchment away and unfolding it to reveal nothing. It was completely blank. Not even ink smudges were on it. I looked up at them in confusion as Hayden peered over my shoulder before he asked, "Is this some kind of joke?"

They rolled their eyes at him, pulling out their wands and giving the parchment a tap, "_I solemnly swear that I am up to no good._"

Within seconds, ink bloomed over the parchment. It designed buildings and hallways with moving footsteps walking about the page. Names of students and faculty were hovering just over the feet.

"What _is _it?" Hayden asked curiously.

"A type of map," I stated plainly. _I've seen this somewhere before..._

"Well, no kidding, Queen Obvious!"

I rolled my eyes at him before looking up at the mirrored boys before me, frowning at the sight of them, "Twins, explain this madness."

"It's called the _Marauder's Map__,_" George answered happily.

_I remember hearing that name before, too... _I thought silently, feeling a pain grow in my head the more I tried to think about it. My hand flew to my temple, adding pressure with my fingertips in an attempt to push the ache away.

I squinted my eyes at some fine print scribbled underneath the word _Map_.

_Since 1970... That's when my mother went to Hogwarts for her first year... _The pain bloomed within the depths of my head, worsening from the last headache. It intensified with each name I saw:_ Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, Prongs_.

"It shows every single person in the building," Fred explained. "Who they are, where, and what they're doing..."

Fred's voice faded away from my ears as my vision grew black around the edges. The pain in my head grew worse the more he explained the map. I could even feel my body begin to sway, but I figured my mind was playing tricks on me again.

"Are you alright?" George asked, looking rather concerned as his voice snapped me from my trance. My headache subsided immediately.

I looked up at him and nodded slowly, letting my hand fall back to my side, "I'm fine."

"_Look!_" Hayden reached over my shoulder suddenly, startling the daylight out of me, to point at something on the map. "There's Sapphira and Mason!"

I let my eyes wander over to where he was pointing.

Sure enough, the names _Sapphira Crane_ and _Mason Arkwright_ were written down with two pairs of footsteps walking down a hall that lead towards one of the many exits of the school, but this one led out to the Quidditch field.

_They must be heading to the arena, _I thought quietly, watching their movements for a long moment and feeling the twitch of a smirk on my lips. _She plans to distract him with sports, I see. _I rolled my eyes in amusement. _The jock_.

"Wait..." I froze for a moment, noting that the rest of the Gryffindor team was lingering around the area they were headed towards. I looked up to the twins, feeling my eyes widen and the color draining away from my features, "Wouldn't Mason notice that you two weren't there?"

Fred shrugged, "We told Oliver to let him know that we needed to study for Potions."

"Since when do you two study?" I asked with a deadpan expression. "Especially for _Potions!_"

"_Shh!_" George grinned. "They don't need to know that!"

"Besides," Fred added, mischief flickering in his eyes, "the whole team is in on the party. They felt like they should at least be part of keeping the surprise to it."

"I suppose..." I was still skeptical, biting down on my lower lip. _But what if he finds out...?_

"Hey," Hayden nudged me with his shoulder, "at least this gives us a chance to get everything ready while they practice, you know? Plus, with the extra hands, we'll get things done faster."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," I sighed. I tapped the map with my own wand as the words slipped out of my mouth before I even realized what I had said, "_Mischief managed._"

They all stared at me in bewilderment as the ink faded away almost as quickly as it appeared. I folded up the parchment as George commented, "You knew what it was all along?"

"Um..." I felt my fingers touch my lips, my brows furrowing slightly. I quickly regained my composure, giving out a short laugh, "Of course I did! I told you to explain it. I didn't ask what it was, unlike the pup here." I jerked my chin towards Hayden.

"_Hey!_" he pouted.

"Clever girl," Fred raised an amused brow.

"_Pfft,_" I snorted at him, rolling my eyes again. I tucked the map into the folds of my skirt, looking up at the twins, who didn't seem to have noticed, "Alright, I need you three to go down to the storage room for me and gather these items for me."

I handed Hayden the list that had been scribbled down on a piece of parchment as he asked, "And if a teacher catches us?"

"Tell them at you're running an errand for me," I told him, nodding to each one. "Dumbledore sent out a message to all the instructors that they are to allow anyone that was helping me today to allow them to pass through certain areas." I narrowed my eyes at them as a warning, "So, _don't_ go wandering. Just get to the storeroom, get the objects, and return. Got it?"

"Ma'am, yes, ma'am!" they saluted me like soldiers to a commander.

"If I'm not here by the time you three get back, just tell the door '_Introitu felicitatem_'. Understand?" I asked, which they stared at me for a long moment—probably in an attempt to remember the words—then nodded to. I shooed them away, "Now get! Go on! Get!"

The trio hurried out of the room as soon as I was finished.

"Now," I smiled to myself as I headed out of the room, shutting the door behind me, "it's time to go gather the yumminess that I asked the elves to prepare."

_How is it that I could have said those words withou—_

_"__**Gah!**__"_ I cried out, shutting my eyes tightly as the pain started to return. It was getting worse each time I tried to think about it. _Okay, okay! Forgotten!_

The pain slowly subsided again, leaving me to sigh in peace before continuing on to my destination for the kitchens. It seemed that every time the map crossed my mind, pain was going to happen.

I walked along the halls with my hands laced behind my back. The tall windows attached to the stone walls gave an absolutely beautiful view of the Black Lake that separated the castle of Hogwarts from the Forbidden Forest. All the leaves glowed warmly of reds, oranges, and yellows as they soaked in the daily sun.

_This is why I've always love autumn,_ I smiled faintly, pausing in front of one of those windows. A breeze flew in, causing goosebumps to uprise on my skin from my lack of a jacket. I allowed my eyes to shut for a moment, breathing in the chilly air as a shiver passed through me. _It always smelled so lovely_.

"You know," I flinched at the male's voice behind me, "you can _actually_ catch a cold like that."

I whirled around to find none other than Percy, cladded in a pair of pale blue jeans and a navy jumper with the light grey collar of a button-up poking out around his neck, standing there. I felt my smile stretch a little wider, "Hey, Perce. What're you up to?"

"Well, I heard that you were setting up a party for Mason," he shrugged. A smile twitched at his lips, "so I figured I'd come help you out."

I waved my hand in the air as though smacking away an invisibile fly, "You don't have to do that. I can take care of things."

"Nonsense," he chuckled lightly. I stiffened when he started pulling off his jumper, feeling my breath catch in my throat for a moment, before he handed it to me. "Here."

I tilted my head at it, glancing at him in slight confusion.

"I don't want you getting sick, silly girl," he said, a soft smile gracing his lips.

"But wouldn't you get cold?" I asked, furrowing my brows at the odd offer.

"I'll be fine," he told me, gesturing for me to take the jumper in his hand. "What you're wearing isn't exactly... autumn clothes."

I looked down at my black leggings beneath my jean shorts. I had put on a white tee-shirt but because I woke up late today, I had forgotten to grab my jacket. I frowned, snatching the sweater from his outstretched hand, "Fine, fine."

I slipped it over my head, wiggling into it because of the larger size, and I was instantly engulfed by the scent of Percy Weasley. Oddly enough, it didn't smell as bad as I was expecting it to,—I had figured it'd smell a lot more like dirt from the fact that his family lived in somewhere called the _Burrow_, and that Ron had a pet _rat—_and the size was much larger than my usual hoodies and jumpers. The sleeves fell over my hands, barely allowing the tips of my fingers to show, and the torso of it was also lower than what I was use to, falling enough to cover my shorts completely.

A laugh in front of me cause me to look up to see him trying to contain laughter and hide a smile by covering his mouth with his hand.

I glared at him, "What? Does it look _that_ bad on me?"

"No, no," he shook his head. "It's just a little big on you is all. I never would have assumed you where such a tiny thing."

I puffed my reddening cheeks out in a pout, crossing my arms, "Are you calling me_ fat_ now?!"

"_No!_" he said quickly, raising his hands in defense before he dissolved into a laughing fit once my pose set in. "That wasn't helping at all!"

I rolled my eyes at him, "Well, while your brothers and my adopted are gathering furniture, let's go get the food."

"Alright then," he nodded, still hiding a smile behind his hand.

_Boys,_ I stifled a sigh as we walked further down the hall to towards the Hufflepuff corridor. I could feel the chill growing on my cheeks as the wind bounced off the stone castle walls.

"You're not _blushing_, are you?" he teased, glancing at me from the corner of his eyes as he shoved his hands casually in his pockets.

"Don't be silly," I told him, sparing him a glance of my own. "As if _you_ could make such a thing happen. That's_hilarious_. It's just the autumn kiss that's floating around."

_What's gotten into him lately? _I pondered quietly._He's been more playful since the beginning of the year_...

"_Autumn kiss?_" he asked, raising a curious, yet clearly amused, brow at me.

I shrugged, crossing my arms tightly around me in the big jumper, "That's what I call it when the wind causes your cheeks to turn rosy. It's as though the autumn wind is kissing your cheeks."

"I like it."

I tilted my head at him, "Really? Sapphira always thought it was too _lovey-dovey_."

"_Sapphira?_" he chuckled again as we descended down a flight of stone stairs. "I thought she was all about romance."

"She is," I groaned, covering my face with one of my sleeved hands. My nose twitched at the stronger scent, but I remained silent about it. "She's been talking about it_non_stop all year so far."

"And it's only just begun," he grinned.

"Don't remind me." I rolled my eyes as I confided in him, "She says that I'm too lonely with all my reading and such, that I should consider looking for a date soon."

"But you don't want to do that, right?" he assumed.

"I'm only thirteen," I told him. "I have no interest in dating yet. Maybe next year, even in a couple years, but not now. I have too much to focus on. I have no time for boys."

"I see..." his gaze fell to the ground.

"You sound disappointed in that, Perce," I let a playful smirk touch my lips despite the flutter in my chest. "Something going on between you and Clearwater?"

He ran a hand through his hair, sighing heavily, "Nothing gets passed you, huh, Felicity?"

"Nope," I giggled as we paused in front of a giant portrait of varying fruit. "Nothing, so tell me what's going on."

"We got into an argument last night after I walked her back to the Ravenclaw tower," he confessed, brushing his fingers over the green pear of the painting. It giggled at being tickled then there was a _pop_. Percy pulled the portrait away to reveal a tunnel behind it. "I don't think we're going to make up."

I walked through with him following at my heels. I remained silent for a few moments, processing the chance he was giving me, "So, you decided to run to me?"

"Well, you always make me feel happy and cheerful, Felicity," he said, grabbing my arm and turning me around to face him. Despite the soft candle lighting in the tunnel, I could clearly see his strained features, darkened from the shadows and lack of sleep, as he stared down at me. He really was quite tall for a fifteen year old. "I feel more at ease around you, and we have so much in common. It's always a fun time."

I crossed my arms, taking a heavy breath as I looked up at his own blue eyes, "Percy, in my first year, I had feelings for you. It was snuffed out early when I saw you with Penelope, so I forced myself to move on. I turned my feelings for you into feelings for reading and my studies. Sure, I still get a flutter here or there, but it's never been anything that could have possibly _ever_ made me want to steal you away from her. I'm not that kind of person, and you know that."

"But I—"

"No buts," I interrupted while I still had the argument in my system, narrowing my eyes at him in warning. I leveled my index finger with the tip of his pointed nose. "Now, you're going to help me with gathering to food for Mason's party, then you're going to go make up and snog with Clearwater, then you're going to bring her to the party, and you're going to forget that we ever had this conversation. Do you understand me, Percy Ignatius Weasley?"

He stared at me for few long moments, longer than I had hoped because I could feeling my spunk fading with each second that passed. After what felt like forever, he stepped back, giving me a full once over, then finally spoke quietly, "I understand."

"Good," I smiled softly to him, patting his cheek gently. "Remember, I'm nothing more to you than your favorite underclassman."

He chuckled, stuffing his hands casually in his pockets, "You're much too wise for that, and you're a bit scary like my mother. I can't believe that you just confessed to me, though."

"Shut up, you idiot!" I flustered, shoving him hard enough so that he smacked into the wall. "I'm not sorry for that, by the way."

"I wasn't expecting you to be," he said, rubbing his arm. "You've got some real power in you for such a skinny girl."

"I wasn't talking about the shove," I smirked, "but thank you."

Without giving him time to react, I hurried down the rest of the tunnel to be greeted by a lit kitchen filled wih house elves scurrying about until they saw me enter. They all rushed over to greet me until Percy entered behind me.

I bowed my head as a hello then asked, "Is the food prepared?"

"Yes, yes!" one of the elves nodded, his large ears twitching with excitement. "The food that Miss Lumen asked for is certainly done. Would you like help carrying it out?"

"That's quite alright," I smiled, gesturing to Percy. "I've already brought someone to help me. Go ahead and continue on with your day. Thank you for everything."

"Rudy will lead Miss Lumen to the table then," the elf said, taking my hand in his smaller one and pulling me across the large kitchen area to a table with a layout of multiple delicacies. I felt myself gasp at the sight, which must have made the elf concerned. "Is there something wrong, Miss Lumen? Rudy and the other elves could easily make something new if—"

"No, no, no!" I said quickly. "It looks amazing."

"Well, Rudy will leave Miss Lumen to it then. Please ask Rudy if Miss Lumen need any help." a smile graced his lips before he scurried away with the others.

"Thank you, Rudy," I called out to him.

"You expect me to help you carry_ all_ of this?" Percy asked, the frown clear in his tone.

"It's too hot in here," I pulled the older teen's jumper off myself as the heat of the stoves settled on me. I looked over to him innocently, holding it out to him, "Of course, and I expect it to be done in one trip. More than that is for wimps." I smirked.

"Oh, you think you're just_ so_ funny, don't you?" he raised a brow at my amused smile, snatching his sweater back.

I let out a light laugh, "I don't_ think _so, Perce... I _know_ it."

I winked at him, pulling out my wand to whisk it. A half of the platters levitated off the table's surface as I whirled around and walked back towards the portrait hole that we entered from. As I left the kitchens, I nodded my farewells to a few of the elves that paused their work when they noticed I was taking my leave.

I had just stepped away from the tunnel when footsteps hurried behind me. I continued on as though I hadn't heard him until Percy called out to me, "Will you wait up a moment?!"

"That makes it too easy!" I shot back, picking my pace up some.

He was practically jogging to catch up with me as we hurried back to my secret room. The platters of food floated high in the air so that no one would be able to notice the large amounts and grow suspicious.

"There you two are!" a familiar redhead came jogging down the hall. As the distance between us and him shortened, I recognized certain features that could have only belonged to Fred Weasley, "George and Hayden are getting the furniture set up."

"Hey, is that Felicity?" a voice from down the hall caused me to flinch. It was Mason's, and he was coming from the direction that Fred just came from. "I thought she was sick."

"She is!" Sapphira's voice followed quickly. "That couldn't possibly be her."

The footsteps started growing closer at a rushed pace.

"_Darn it!_" I hissed, flicking my wand to change my appearance and pulled Fred towards me by the collar of his jumper. "Don't hate me for this, Weasle."

"Hate for wh—"

I crashed my lips against his, earning a shocked look from the boy and his brother. Percy's jaw dropped, but I sent him a quick glare that flickered to the platters above then back to him as a warning before shutting them to pretend like I was actually _enjoying_ kissing the Weasle.

_Drop those plates, Percy, and I will drop you on your head!_

Percy seemed to have gotten the hint because he ducked behind a nearby statue.

"Oh," Mason's voice sounded surprised with hints of disappointment, catching my attention as I pushed the boy away.

I sneered at him, giving him my best dark glare, "What're _you_ looking at?"

"Nothing," he stated before looking at two redheads. "Hey, what are you doing here, Fred? I thought you were studying for a Potions test tomorrow..." His eyes slowly widened before broke into laughter, "Wait a minute... That was only an excuse to get out of practice so you could spend the day with your _girlfriend?!_ Wood's going to have your arse handed to you!"

"I... um... Well..." he stuttered, flustering a deeper shade of red with each passing second. "You see..."

"He's owed me some time together for awhile now," I spat coldly, lacing my fingers with the dumbfounded boy's and giving his hand a squeeze. "Your _practice_ has been hogging all of his time, so I gave him a bit of an ultimatum."

Sapphira remained silent as she studied me, but there was an amused smile on her lips, which she tried to hide behind her hand. I settled my glare on her, which only made her giggle.

"So," Mason ignored me and my obvious wanting for him to leave as he turned his attention to the redhead "what's her name?"

"It's F—" I roughly dug my nails into his knuckles before he was able to say my actual name. He quickly recovered and corrected himself as I flipped my hair, "Flora. Her name is Flora Nightingale."

"Charmed, I'm sure," I said to him, holding out my free hand as if expecting him to take it but knowing that he wouldn't dare touch someone with the attitude I was acting with currently. I had to force myself to keep a calm composure instead of falling into a fit of giggles at his clear want to roll his eyes.

"Well," Sapphira finally spoke up, "I believe that we best be going to the library now. Felicity wanted me to check out some books for her."

"Quite," Mason nodded. "It was good seeing you, Fred... and Flora."

"Tootles," I waved my fingers at him, wanting to grin with how he spoke my fake name with contained irritation, almost as if acting polite to an enemy.

As they disappeared down the hall, I released a heavy sigh then whirled around to examine myself in the nearest window. My dark chocolate hair had turned a raven navy that nearly resembled the color of the night, and my beautiful ice blue eyes had turned into a muddy brown. My skin was tanner compared to the usual paleness of it, and I had grown shorter, too, with a bit of chubbiness on my figure.

"Wow, Felicity," Percy chuckled as he stepped away from his hiding spot. With a disgusted expression, I was spitting at the ground and rubbing the feel of Fred's lips off my mouth with the back of my hand."I would never have expected for you to kiss my_ brother_."

"Well, I wasn't going to kiss _you,_" I narrowed my eyes at him for our earlier conversation, which made his cheeks flush lightly with embarrassment, "and besides, he was the closest thing to me."

"Whatever you say," he laughed.

"_Brat,_" I muttered, waving my wand over my head. I turned back to the window, noticing how my appearance was back to normal. I sighed happily, "Much better."

"Shall we continue, milady?" Percy asked, offering me his arm.

I linked my arm with his, laughing, "We shall."

As we started to walk away, he looked back and called out to his dumbstruck younger brother, "_Fred! _Are you coming or what?"

That seemed to snap the boy out of his trance because he turned to look at us and hurried over. His cheeks soon resembled the color of his hair when I linked my arm with him once he caught up. He wouldn't look at me, keeping his gaze focused on the windows or whatever was on the walls as we passed.

Soon enough, we were in front of the doorway to my abandoned classroom. I unhooked myself from the two and placed a hand on the door's surface, whispering softly, "_Introitu felicitatem._"

The door opened on its own as I ushered the boys in, helping Percy levitate the food inside. We placed it on the long table I had asked the boys to bring in, which ended up being pushed over towards the front of the room. It was just blocking off the steps.

I glanced around the room, taking note of how two couches, one was crimson lined with gold and the other was navy lined with silver, were placed in a half-circle around two coffee tables. Everything that made is seem like a classroom before had been put away in the trunk, so now it looked like a giant common room with two sets of staircases on either side of the room leading up to two balconies that gave us the privilege to watch from above.

"_Wow,_" I breathed out as a smile broke out on my face. "It looks _amazing!_"

"I figured you'd like it," Hayden strolled over to me, his hands stuffed in his pockets as he proudly beamed about his work, "but it's much better to hear so."

I playfully shoved him on his arm, laughing, "Shut up, pup."

"_You kissed—?!_" a voice shrieked behind us.

We turned around to see Fred and Percy toppled over George as an attempt to get him to shut up. I raised a brow at the pile of redheads when they glanced over at me. Percy looked pale, but Fred's face was burning red.

"_What did you do?_" Hayden whispered at me, looking up at my taller form.

I shrugged, "_Well, you know, Mason was walking by, and if I hadn't done __**something,**__ he would've known that I was lying about being sick._"

"_What did you __**do?**_" he repeated, watching me with concern in his eyes.

"_Well,_" I had to hide my amused smile as we walked over to the brothers, "_you'll find out later from Sapphira, probably during the party._"

"_Oh, sweet Merlin..._" he groaned.

I smiled teasingly at the flustered third-year, "My, my, Freddy. Are you feeling well? You look a little_ red _in the face..."

"I... um... W-Well," he stammered, unable to come up with a proper reason.

I crouched down to his level, resting my forehead against his, "You _do_ feel warm, you know..."

Hayden smacked my arm as I pulled away from boy, "Will you stop teasing him, Fliss?"

"_Ow!_" I pouted out my lip, pretending to be hurt, but then I just ended up laughing shortly after. "I'm sorry, but I can't help it sometimes. It's just too much fun."

Percy rolled his eyes at me, "You really _are_ evil sometimes."

"I know," I happily said to him, giving him a dazzling grin. I glanced up at the clock and gasped, gesturing for the boys to get up from the ground, "We only have a half-hour let! Quickly, quickly, you have to go gather the guests while I finish setting up!"

"Alright," they nodded.

I started shooting out orders, pointing to each one when I said their names, "Twins, go hunt down the Quidditch team. Percy, go gather the other people. Hayden, you're sticking with Percy, but you have to stay out of sight. If you hear Sapphira's or Mason's voice, hide. Got it?"

Hayden nodded to me, "Understood."

"Then go on!" I shooed them away. "Sapphira will be bringing Mason here in less than thirty minutes!"

They ran out of the room and went out to fulfill their orders.

I jogged across the room, hurrying up the steps to the staircase on the right side of the room. I ducked into the little entryway that led towards what use to be the instructor's office before I got ahold of it this early morning. It was decked out with silver and deep blue decór styled to make it seem more like my personal common room with tall bookshelves that lined the walls, a navy couch that sat on the other side of the dark wooden coffee table from my armchair that curved like claws over the seater's head. To the left of the chair was a small stone fireplace wedged between on of the book cases and a large trunk much like the one downstairs, but this one had a deep navy and silver color scheme to it to match the rest of the room.

I hurried over to it, flipping the lock open and pushing the lid of the chest up. I dug around the folded clothes I had stuffed in there and the few munch foods until I found an old shoe box with my handwriting on it saying, '_Mace's Party!_' and another box that was wrapped in silver wrapping paper with a black ribbon tied around it. I put them to the side and shut the trunk.

I got back to my feet, lifting the boxes with me as I stood. I went over to my armchair and placed the wrapped present down, giving it a light pat on the bow that the ribbon had been knotted into. I quickly left the room, shutting the door behind me, and kept a tight hold on the shoe box.

I walked over to the balcony, taking a deep breath before flipping the open of the box off and holding it arm's length away. Bright sparks flew out of the open box, dashing themselves into every corner and square-inch of the room that it could possible touch before exploding and fading away like fireworks.

A grin pulled at my lips as banners, balloons, and other party decorations appeared in the areas that the sparks had touched.

The door opened, and I looked down to find people parading in. Their eyes were wide with amazement and their mouths were agape in awe as the last few sparks faded away. I spotted Hayden and the Weasley boys below.

I leaped over the balcony's stone rail and easily landed on my feet before the boys. I smiled to them, tucking a stray lock of hair behind my ear as eyes landed on me, "Hello, everyone. Mason should be arriving any moment now, so look for somewhere to hide."

"Brilliant drop, Lumen!" a guy's voice called out amongst the crowd.

"Thanks!" I shouted back as Hayden approached me with the trio of redheads tailing behind him. "Everyone's here?"

"Everyone but Sapphira and the birthday boy," the boy nodded. "Amazing job with the decorations."

"Thanks," I grinned proudly.

_Knock, knock, knock!_

"_Fish!_" I hissed at the boys, shooing them away, "_Alright, go hide somewhere and wait until they walk in!_"

"_Got it!_" they whispered.

As they scurried away, I strode over to the door as another few knocks hit it. I pulled my down the hem of my shirt slightly, out of a nervous habit that I had been trying to kick, before I pulled the door open and smiled at my two close friends, "Hey, guys."

"Hi," Sapphira giggled, winking at me.

"Hey," Mason replied with a soft smile of his own. His brows furrowed in slight confusion, "How're you feeling? Sapphira said you would've been bedsick all day." He shot a glance to the nervous-looking blond.

"I'm feeling great, actually," I laughed. I gestured for them to enter, "C'mon in."

As soon as I shut the door once they were over the threshold, everyone jumped away from their hiding spots and shouted, "_Surprise!_"

Mason's eyes went wide as I stepped up to his side, linking my arm with his, "You did this, Fliss?"

"Me, Sapphira, Hayden," I nodded, listing out our little group. I jerked my chin over where Percy and the twins were waving at us, "Oh, and a few Weasley boys helped out, too."

"Wow," he grinned. "This is amazi—_Wait_."

"Hn?" I tilted my head at him curiously as the boys came over.

He pulled away from me to look over my attire, "Wait, wait, wait... So, that girl that was with Fred..." He pointed towards the twins.

_Uh-oh. _I felt my cheeks burn.

Sapphira burst into laughter, which quickly involved her trying to cough out the drink someone had handed her. "Oh, _sweet _Merlin! I was waiting for that!"

"Ah, hush up!" I snapped, pushing her away as she continued laughing at me. I looked at Mason's distant expression, "It was the only way to stop you from knowing what we were doing."

Instead of trying to rip the Weasle to shreds, to my surprise, he let out an amused chuckle, "Sorry that you had to use up your first kiss in the process."

"Eh," I shrugged casually, smiling at him. "No biggie."

"Alright, it's party time!" Hayden barked happily. "Let's get the show on the road!"

"When did you get so peppy?" I asked, raising an amused brow at him as he practically vibrated with excitement.

He laughed, "Guess you must've rubbed off on me."

"_Pfft._" I snorted as he, and the others with the exception of Sapphira, scampered off to go mingle with people. I turned to her, crossing my arms, "You're never going to let me live this down are you?"

"_Never,_" she giggled, a glint of evil in her eyes.

"You're cruel," I rolled my eyes, feeling a smile twitch at my lips, as we walked over to the long table filled with the food Percy and I had brought in. I picked at the chips, popping them in my mouth as I let my eye glazed over the crowd.

The Gryffindor Quidditch team were chatting away with Mason, and a few of them were wrestling about with each other. Most of the Gryffindor House was around, including the first-years, and Hayden had dragged in some Hufflepuffs, including a certain Cedric Diggory that Sapphira had been eying at like a cat at a mouse, and Ravenclaws that were familiar with the birthday boy. I noticed that Percy and Penelope were smiling at each other, which meant that the idiot must have patched things up with her. All in all, it was already a pretty decent party, but it felt like something was missing...

"The _music!_" I gasped, feeling my eyes grow wide. I didn't bother explaining to Sapphira as I dashed upstairs to my little hideaway. I ducked inside, praying that no one noticed my absence. I dropped to my knees in front of the trunk and dug through it again, "How could I have possibly forgotten such a thing?!"

As I was doing so, I heard the room click open. I froze and looked over my shoulder to see Penelope walking in. She shut the door behind her, looking rather sheepish as she looked at the floor, then glanced at me, and back again.

"Clearwater?" I furrowed my brows at her, standing from my spot on the floor. "What are you doing up here?"

"I..." she released frustrated sigh. She looked like she really didn't want to say anything to me. "I—"

"Are you alright?" I asked, taking a step towards her. "Did something happen?"

She shook her head, holding her hand up to stop me from further approaching her before looking up at me, "I came up here to thank you."

"Thank me?" I stared at her.

"Yeah," she nodded. "Percy told me that you were the one that snapped him back into reality and had him come settle things. If it weren't for you, I think we would've broken up."

I smiled at her, walking over and resting a hand on her shoulder, "Hey, no need to thank me. I just didn't want him to screw things up with a girl he really cares for. He's an idiot, so you gotta' tweak at him some." I gave her a wink.

"You really are something," she laughed, but it was cut short. Her eyes fell to the ground once more, "Anyway, I also wanted to apologize for being so jealous. I had always figured that since you had a crush on him that you might've been plotting to steal him away from me, but I know that's not the case anymore."

"What, and be labeled as a_ boy thief?_" I raised a brow at her. "Nah, I've seen how happy you two are. I would never want to do that to either one of you, and, besides, I had already moved on after I saw you two together."

"Yeah, I suppose not," she smiled softly. She straightened herself, holding her hand out to me, "So... friends?"

"Friends," I grinned, giving her hand a firm shake.

"So, what did you come up here looking for anyway?" she asked.

I smacked my hand against my forehead and hurried back over to the open trunk, "I forgot the music for the party."

All of a sudden, there was the sound of beats rhythmically taking up outside the room. Penelope and I shared a quick look at each other before running out of the room and over to the balcony to see what was going on.

I felt my eyes widen as a band that I didn't recognize stood on the high level of the room behind the platter table. Underneath them was a stage that hadn't been there before. They were _singing_.

The lead singer, a handsome male, looked up at me. Our eyes locked for a moment before he sent a wink my way and turned back towards the crowd gathering around them. I blushed like mad.

I jogged down the steps, hurrying over to Sapphira, who was still leaning right where I left her with a smirk on her lips. I had to ask, "Did you do this?"

"Maybe," she shrugged it off, but that already gave me the answer. "Maybe not."

"You're a bloody brat," I grinned wickedly, "and I love it!"

"Wow," a voice behind me caught our attention, causing me to turn around to find the frizzy-haired girl named Hermione standing there, "this is a really nice party."

"Yeah, it's a team effort from Sapphira and I," I smiled down at her. "Enjoying yourself?"

"Quite, actually," she nodded, seeming a little surprised at herself.

"Felicity did most of the work, though," Sapphira stated, grinning proudly. "I just distracted Mace and provided the band."

"Well, it's really nicely done," the younger girl praised.

"Thank you," we synchronized.

"Well, I'm going to go look for Harry and Ron," she nodded to us, holding out her hand. "It's been a pleasure."

"If you ever need help with your classes," I said, shaking her smaller hand, "don't be afraid to ask. I'm pretty good with most classes. Just ask Mason where to find me."

"Thank you," she smiled at me.

Without thinking about it, Sapphira shook the girl's hand also and stiffened the instant contact was made between the two.

"_Oh, no..._" I whispered, feeling the panic grow inside me.

"Is she alright?" Hermione asked, pulling her hand away.

"Yeah, sorry," I rushed. "She's just having a freeze frame. Don't worry about it."

"Really?"

"Percy! Hayden!" I called out amongst the crowd, but I couldn't find either one of them. Luckily, though, I found a familiar Oliver Wood standing nearby. "_Oliver!_"

He looked over at me, noticing the worry in my features, and jogged over immediately, "What happened?"

"She's having a freeze frame," I informed him quickly. "I need you to carry her upstairs for me, okay?"

Sapphira's legs buckled underneath her just as he nodded. I was able to conjure up enough strength to hold her up for Oliver to scoop her into his arms. He started to head towards the staircase without me.

"Granger," I turned to the little girl, who stiffened as I dangerously loomed over her like a dementor would to its prey, "don't breathe a word about this to anyone, understand? _Especially_ not Mason."

"Understood," she nodded stiffly, obviously slightly frightened.

"Good," I gave her frizzy head a light pat before dashing after Oliver.

We jogged upstairs quickly, and I threw the door open so he wouldn't have to fuss with it while carrying Sapphira's unconscious form. I gestured for him to lay her out on the couch, which he obliged to without question.

"Is there anything else you need, Lumen?" he asked, sparing a glance towards the girl on the couch before looking at me again. "Do you need me to fetch Mason?"

"_No!_" I hissed dangerously at him before quickly apologizing to him. "Sorry, just... uh... go continue on with the party, but don't breathe a _word_ of this to Mason. Tell Hayden that I need him up here, though."

The Gryffindor Quidditch captain nodded to me before departing from the room.

I went over to Sapphira's side, folding my legs under myself as I sat on the ground beside the couch, and took her hand. I cooed gently to her, but I knew that she wouldn't be able to hear me in this state.

It was merely moments after Oliver left that Hayden came bursting into the room, fear written all over his features. He shut the door behind him then hurried over to us, the noisiness of the boy causing her to stir.

"Sapphira?" I asked as her eyes started to flutter open. "Sapphira, are you alright?"

"_Felicity...?_" she murmured, looking up at me with such exhausted eyes.

"Yes, it's me. Hayden's here, too," I told her. "What did you see, honey?"

Her body flew into an upright position, her eyes were wide as she look around, muttering one word: "Halloween."

"Halloween?" I asked, furrowing my brows curiously at her. "That's my favorite holiday, yes. What about it?"

"Granger girl... she'll be crying in the girl's lavatory... during dinner..." Sapphira buried her face in her hands, starting to rock back and forth slowly. "Then there's going to be a large, shadowy figure that enters the room... She screamed... Then... it ended. The vision ended."

I flinched when she mentioned a_ large, shadowy figure, _and my thoughts immediately went to Fluffy. I bit down hard on my lip to keep myself from speaking out.

_But there's no way he'd be about to fit through that tiny doorway,_ I reassured myself quickly.

She looked up at me with fearful eyes, her hands grabbing hold of my shirt and twisting the fabric in her fists as her body trembled, "Something is going to be loose in the castle, Felicity. Something awful is going to happen on Halloween."

"Alright, calm yourself, Sapphira," I gently pried her hands away and held them in my own. "I'll talk to one of the professors later, alright?"

She nodded stiffly, looking passed me at, who I assumed was, Hayden, "You..."

I didn't need to look at him to know that he stiffened as her eyes narrowed on him. I watched her steady gaze on him, "What is it, Sapphira?"

"You're going to end up punching one of the Weasley boys," she stated calmly, though her eyes remained slit.

"Why would I do that?" he asked, seeming as surprised as I was.

Her gaze finally fell away from him to stare at her hands in her lap as though they might hold the answers she was seeking. Her features etched with frustration and her hands balled into fists, "I... don't know. I just saw you punching one of them in the face."

"Do you know which one?" I questioned quietly.

"R... Ro... Ronald?" her brows furrowed as she attempted to remember. "I think it was the youngest."

I looked over my shoulder, giving a slight smirk to the boy, "Hey, at least you wouldn't be going up against the older ones."

"Oh, ha, ha," he rolled his eyes at me, crossing his arms. "So very funny, Fliss."

I turned back to Sapphira, "Can you stand?"

"Yeah, I should be able to," she nodded, "but I think I'll rest here for a bit before returning to the party."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive," she gave me a soft smile before her gaze went back to Hayden, "but could you fetch me a glass of water while you're down there?"

"Of course," he responded.

Hayden and I took our leave, making our way over to the balcony to find that people were still dancing and roaring to the band. We headed downstairs to join them so that Mason wouldn't seem too suspicious of our absences.

_The last thing that boy needs is to be flipping out about Sapphira having a vision on his birthday,_ I internally sighed. _Quidditch, schooling, and his father being in and out of the hospital... How does he keep up with it all without breaking down?_

"_Felicity!_" A hand snaked my arm, and I flinched at the sudden contacting, whirling around to find none other than the birthday boy himself. He was smiling until he saw my expression, then it quickly faded into concern, "What's wrong? What happened?"

I shook my head at him, "Nothing, you just scared me is all."

"Are you sure?" he asked, his deep brown eyes stared into my icy blues with worry.

I smiled reassuringly to him, "Positive."

"Good," he breathed a heavy sigh as his lips twitched back into a smile. "Enjoying yourself?"

"Of course I am," I smirked. "Sapphira and I created it after all."

"True enough," he grinned. "Thanks."

"As long as you're having fun, I think this was a complete success."

"As do I!" A voice called from above, causing us to both look up to find a familiar blond watching them. As the music faded away for the band to take their break, she shouted out to everyone below her, "I think it's time for cake and presents!"

"Cake?" Mason's eyes went wide as his head whipped around to stare at the mischievous smile growing on my lips. "You didn't dare..."

"Maybe I did," I said, swaying my hips as I walked over to the couches, "or maybe I didn't. There's only one way to find out, Mace." I sent a wink at him from over my shoulder before plopping on the cushions.

He shook his head, rolling his eyes at me as he sat down in the middle. Sapphira already made her way down and took her spot on the other side of him.

People soon circled around our group, only parting down the middle for Hayden to push a cart that had a three-layer red velvet cake with golden frosting around the edges and "_Happy Birthday, Mason!_" written in my own handwriting with caramel.

They all gawked at the large desert with hungry eyes, which made me smirk.

The house elves always made delicious deserts, so it had been a bit of a fight for them to let me make it myself and write on the cake instead of having them do it for me. I even had to go to Dumbledore to ask for permission so that they could back off. It never stopped the tiny creatures from watching me with worry and the want to serve.

"Oh, Felicity... Sapphira..." Mason stared at the piece, lips parting slightly.

"Nope," the blond threw her hands up as a type of defense. "I wasn't part of this one. It was all Felicity, I swear."

"Really?" he looked up at me, a peculiar sparkle in his earthy eyes.

I felt myself blush under his gaze, so I turned my head away and ran a nervous hand through my messy hair, "Yeah, well, I wanted to do somethin' special for ya'."

Suddenly, I was engulfed in a pair of arms, pressed against Mason's chest as his scent instantly surrounded me. I happily breathed in his minty and pine scent. "Oh, thank you so much, Fliss!"

I stiffened at first, but I quickly composed myself and returned the embrace, grinning, "Yeah, and it's red velvet, too."

"My favorite," he smirked.

"But of course," Sapphira giggled beside him. She ruffled his hair, which he had to smooth out afterward, and laughed, "Only the best for our beloved birthday boy."

"Well," I started as I pressed my lips against his cheek.

Sapphira mimicked my movement before we said together, "Happy birthday, Mason!"

Needless to say, he blushed a deep shade of crimson that day.


	9. Chapter 8

It was almost midnight when the last of the guests had left, leaving my friends, the Weasley twins, and I in the newly decorated classroom. My head was resting tiredly against Mason's shoulder, his arm wrapped comfortably around my waist. Hayden had his head resting in my lap like a young child to his mother as I combed my fingers through his hair

"Well," Sapphira yawned loudly amongst the silence that had flooded the room. Her eyes landed on me for a moment, a glint of something mischievous in her eyes, but her gaze left me almost as quickly as it landed, "I'm going to head back to the room. Wanna' walk with me, Hayden?"

She turned her attention to the tired fledgling. He groaned, seeming not wanting to get up before he noticed the expectant brow that was raised on the blond's face.

With a sigh, he sat up and nodded sleepily, "Okay, okay. I'll walk you back."

I raised my own eyebrow in curiosity at what she could possibly have plotting in her head, but she merely smiled at me and left the room with Hayden trudged, half-asleep, behind her.

The twins looked at each other, a smirk on George's face and a questioning expression on Fred's, before George spoke up after he tapped Mason on the shoulder, "We're going to head out, too, mate. We'll see you later in the common room."

"Hn?" Mason looked up at the two redheads before nodding farewell to them. "Alright, then. If anything, I'll see you at practice tomorrow."

"Yeah," Fred nodded. He didn't look at me, but he waved as he made his way to the door, "Great party, Lumen."

"Thanks for the help, boys!" I called out to them, cupping my hand to the side of my mouth before they disappeared out the door together. I sighed heavily, pulling away from Mason as leaned my back against the arm of the navy couch. "Well, that was fun."

"Yeah, it was," Mason chuckled. He stretched himself out on the couch, leaning his back against the opposite arm of the same couch, to face me and give me enough room to let my legs rest on the cushions. He seemed content. "It's been awhile since we've spent time together, just us."

I thought about it for a moment, grabbing on of the lost pillows that had been toppled to the ground and hugging it to my chest. I nodded to him, "You're right. The last time we spent time together like this was when I came to visit your house at the beginning of the summer."

"Mhm," he hummed, nodding in agreement. "I still remember how we met on the _Hogwarts Express_ when we were first-years."

_"__Bye, Pepa," I threw my arms around his midriff one last time, squeezing him tightly. "I love you. Be safe on your way home!"_

_With that, I gathered my trunks and my cat carrier before I hurried onto the train. I searched for an empty compartment, and, to my luck, found one that hadn't been taken yet. I quickly ducked inside and placed Nix's carrier on the seat._

_"__**I think you have to put your trunk up there,**__" the snowy cat purred, nodding towards the luggage compartment above our heads._

_I looked up at it and sighed heavily, "Why do I have to be so short...?"_

_"__**Because you haven't hit puberty yet?**__" Nix murred, tilting her head slightly._

_I felt my face grow warm instantly, "How would you know anything about that?!"_

_"__**I lived with an anatomy instructor before I was taken to that pet shop,**__" she sat up, adjusting her arms as if shrugging. "__**I learned some thing about the developing human body**__."_

_"__You're ridiculous," I shook my head at her, snatching one of my trunks off the ground and standing on my tip-toes to attempt getting it up. "And so is how tall this thing is!"_

_"__Having trouble, love?" a male's voice called from the entrance of the train compartment, causing me to give out a surprised, mouse-like squeak and fall over._

_"__**Ow!**__"_

_"__Oh, Godric, are you okay?!" the boy asked, hurrying over to help me up. I looked at him, taking in the mop of sandy blond hair on his head and bright earthy eyes that flickered with worry. I recognised him as Alistair, the boy I met in the bookstore when I was at Diagon Alley. "Sorry, I didn't mean to spook you like that."_

_"__That's alright, Alistair," I said when I got back on my feet, waving him off. "I was just trying to put away my luggage." I absentmindedly gestured to the fallen trunk left on the ground by my feet. I tilted my head curiously at him, "What're you doing over here?"_

_"__I was just looking for a compartment to crash in with my brother while we were on the train," he answered. "Anyway, I was just walking by and happened to overhear you arguing with your, um, cat?" He furrowed his blond brows questioningly, but the smile remained intact._

_**He must think I'm completely mad! **__I __mentally scolded myself, squeezing my eyes shut for a minute before opening them again. __**Well, the sooner they learn, the better, I suppose**__._

_"__Oh, sorry about that." I knew that I probably looked like a tomato head on a human body, but I couldn't help the embarrassment that was filling me from being caught talking to my feline friend. "And, yes, that's my cat. Her name is Nix."_

_"__I see," he nodded, picking up the forgotten trunk off the ground and placing it up on the luggage compartment with ease, which made me just a tad envious at his tallness. "Do you want me to put the rest of it up here?"_

_"__If you could, please," I smiled sheepishly at him, handing off the rest of my things to him, minus the carrier and a drawstring bag that contained a few items I preferred to have in reach. "Also, if you wanted, you and your brother could stay in here. I just found this spot myself, so I don't mind sharing."_

_"__Really?" he glanced at me from the corner of his eye as he placed another trunk up. "I'd really appreciate it."_

_"__I appreciate what you're doing for me now," I laughed. "Thank you."_

_"__Well, I'll go get my brother then. I promise that we won't bother you too much," he told me, placing my third and final trunk up, then he ducked out of the train compartment._

_Amused, I rolled my eyes, shaking my head slightly as I plopped down beside my feline companion, "Well, we've got to make friends somewhere, eh, Nix?"_

_"__**He's definitely cute,**__" she purred, winking at me teasingly._

_"__Oh, not you, too," I groaned, falling back against the seat, looking up at the wooden underside of the luggage holder. "What am I going to do with you, girl?"_

_"__**Well, for one, you can stop talking to me because I can hear pretty boy and his younger brother coming back already,**__" she murred._

_Both growing silent for a moment, I listened carefully with my heightened sense of hearing._

_**Thump, thump, thump, thump.**_

_Seconds later, two faces appeared in the doorway to my compartment. One was the boy I had just seen, Alistair, but the other looked like a younger brunet version of him. His face was spotted with freckles along his nose and cheeks, and his mop of brown hair reminded me of a dark oak trunk. He had identical earth-toned eyes, but his were a golden brown with green flecks rather than Alistair's green with golden._

_"__**This was the girl I told you about,**__" Alistair muttered under his breath, but I still heard him. He spoke louder when he introduced them, "Mace, this is Felicity Lumen. Felicity, this is my brother, Mason."_

_"__Hello," I offered him a friendly smile, waving to him._

_His eyes went wide, and I could almost __**see**__ a hint of pink staining his cheeks as he stared at me. Instead of shying away, though, he walked in and smiled at me, "Hey."_

_"__Did I just hear the name '__**Felicity Lumen**__'?!" a girlish voice squealed just as Alistair and Mason took a seat on the bench opposite of me. A blond poked her head in a moment later, eyes scanning until they found me. "Oh, __**Felicity! There **__you are! I was almost afraid I wouldn't find you with all these train compartments!"_

_I stared at the girl for a moment, groping my memory to put a name to the high-spirited face before it finally clicked. My brows rose in surprise, "Sapphira?"_

_"__**Yes!**__" she squealed happily, clapping her together like an excited rich girl, which was probably what she was. I stuck my pinky finger in my ear to try getting the ringing noise out of my head as the blond continued, "Oh, I'm so glad you remember me. Would it be alright if I joined you three?"_

_"__I don't mind," Alistair said to me, shrugging nonchalantly._

_Mason merely nodded his agreement, "A friend of yours is a friend of ours."_

_"__Take a seat then," I smiled, my shoulders bobbing slightly with laughter._

_Sapphira plopped down beside her exasperatedly, "Oh, I'm so glad!"_

_"__So, how have you been, Saph?" I asked her, folding my legs into the form of a pretzel. "It's been almost a week since we saw each other at Diagon Alley."_

_"__Well, nothing really happened after we met, honestly," she shrugged. "But I did bump into this mean blond girl, and I definitely believe she'll go to Slytherin. She's got the act for it."_

_"__She didn't do anything to you, did she?" I frowned deeply at the sound of this._

_"__No, no," Sapphira sighed, waving dismissively. "She merely called me a __**ditz**__, then she told me I should learn to watch where I'm going if I know any better. I mean, can you __**believe**__ that? She's the ditz around here!"_

_"__You should learn to lower your voice, bird brain," a girl growled from the entryway, catching all of our attention. Nix even hissed despite being unable to see the girl. She was a pale blond, practically platinium, with dark eyes that looked two black holes. Her hands planted haughtily on her hips. "You never know who might here you."_

_"__Back off," I snapped irritably, narrowing my eyes at the girl._

_"__Or __**what?**__" she sneered. "You'll cry to your mummy?"_

_"__If it's a fight you want, girly," I stood up, an Irish accent leaking through my voice, as I pushed up the arm to my long-sleeved grey shirt, "then that's what you'll get."_

_"__**Please,**__" she waved me off dismissively, as if brushing a fly away. "You're not __**worth**__ my time. You look like a little sewer rat that crawled out of the dumpster."_

_"__Why don't you just leave then?" Alistair asked, standing up as well to put himself between her and I. "If we're not worth your time, then why stay?"_

_"__Well, you're kind of cute," she winked at him. "You might want to leave these dozy eejits and hang out with a real crowd."_

_I snarled at her, but Alistair spoke up first, "I don't know if you understood this or not from the scarf I'm wearing, but I'm a Gryffindor. We typically don't enjoy being around the growing population of slimey snakes like you."_

_The girl gasped, as though she had just been slapped in the face, as Sapphira and I fell into a bubble of giggles. Mason even chuckled at the insult his brother created._

_Red-faced and fuming, the bully stormed off._

_"__Oh, thank you, Alistair," I grinned, throwing my arms around him in a hug. "You're so kind!"_

_"__Um, er, you're welcome!" he flushed, turning his head away from my sudden act of affection. He gave me a light pat on the head as I released him before we took their respective seats. "Anyway, I didn't like how she was talking to the two of you."_

_"__So, you're a Gryffindor?" Sapphira asked curiously, tilting her head. Her eyes flickered to the scarf before a small smiled curved her lips, "I can definitely see why."_

_"__I plan to be in Gryffindor, too," Mason added, nodding. "The Sorting Hat usually puts family members in the same House, but sometimes it differs."_

_"__Anything but Slytherin is fine with me," Sapphira stated._

_"__I already told you," I rolled my eyes at the blond girl, "you aren't mean enough to be a Slytherin."_

_"__I can see you as a Gryffindor, though, Felicity," Alistair told me. "The way you stood up for Sapphira, almost as if on instinct, was definitely a Gryffindor trait."_

_I shrugged, "I don't know. I usually prefer flight over fight, but she just sparked my temper too soon for any of that niceness to show."_

_"__Nonetheless, I appreciate it greatly," Sapphira smiled at me. "Thank you."_

_"__Well, we are friends, aren't we?" I grinned. "That means we're basically family without the blood ties, which means we have to stick up for each other." _

_"__Family without the blood ties," Mason repeated thoughtfully for a moment. A toothy grin graced his lips, "I like the way you think."_

_"__You know," I smirked, "I usually tell people I have great ideas, but they just think I'm bonkers. Humans just don't seem to have much of a sense of humour anymore."_

_They all chuckled at my statement._

I sighed at the memory, "Oh, I laughed when that girl got sorted into Slytherin! How has Alistair been? And your dad?"

"Dad's back home for now, and he's taking it easy. Alistair's still playing with fire, too," he smiled at me, but something caring behind that smile of his made my heart flutter as he took my hand in his. Thankfully, it was too dark in the room for the growing warmth in my cheeks to be noticeable. "How is that mischievous cat of yours anyway? Nix being a good girl and all?"

"_Pfft,_" I waved him off nonchalantly. "Nix? A good girl? In my dreams! Even you know better than that, Mace." I winked at him with a playful smile on my lips. "How's Umbra doing? Is he still keeping you up at night?"

The reminder of his black fruit bat earned her a groan from the Gryffindor boy as he smacked his palm against his face, "That bat, I swear..."

"Oh, gosh," I grinned at him, "what happened now?"

"Alright, so," he started off, shaking his head at the memory, "Umbra, you know how he likes to fly around at night and explore the castle while everyone's sleeping, right?"

I nodded, "Yeah, I know."

"Okay, so, yeah, he found his way into the kitchens and ate almost half the stock of fresh fruit that had arrived just the other day."

"So, that's what happened!" I felt my jaw fall agape.

"Yeah," he nodded then shook his head, "he could barely fly with how fat he got from eating it all. He woke me up in the middle of the night because he couldn't carry himself more than a few feet in the air, so he cried outside the room until George threw his shoe at me."

I laughed at the imagine of the usually slim, black bat growing to the size of a plump watermelon. My laughter grew even louder when I thought about him wailing outside of the boys' room for Mason to come get him.

"Ah, shush," Mason batted at me with his hand.

"It's just funny imagining Umbra as a fat bat!" I giggled as I tried to subside my laughter, which failed when he made a face at me. I only laughed harder, "Don't look at me like that!"

"Only you," he sighed, shaking his head. "Well, I think it's about time that I headed to bed. I've got to carry all these presents back to my room, anyway." He nodded his head towards the pile of objects that had been put to the side.

"Oh!" my eyes widened. I jumped up off the couch and grabbed his hand, "You have to come with me really quick before you leave!"

"What?" his brows with confusion as I tugged repeatedly at his hand. "What's going on?"

"Just follow me, and you'll find out!"

I pulled him off the couch and led him up the stone staircase on the other side of the room. I pushed the door open, peeking inside, and, sure enough, the silver present was still sitting in the armchair where I left it earlier.

I hurried inside, hearing Mason's light footsteps behind me as I grabbed the gift and handed it to him, "Here!"

His eyes widened at the box, tilting his head slightly. He took the box from my hands gently and looked at me with a puzzled expression on his face, "A gift? You didn't have to do this, Fliss."

"I wanted to," I said simply, shrugging. I nodded to the present eagerly, "Go on, open it."

"Well... okay then," he seated himself in the armchair then gingerly pulled the black ribbon apart from its bow with ease. He lifted the box to his ear and shook it lightly, hearing an object inside, but his features twisted slightly, making me laugh a bit because he couldn't figure out what it was. Mason then tore into the silver wrapping, letting the pieces flutter to his feet.

I felt a smile pull at my lips as his eyes grew wide after he pulled the tape off and opened the box. His earthy eyes sparkled as he stared down at the gift.

I had to ask him, "Do you like it?"

He pulled out the long scarf that had been hand-knitted with the Gryffindor colors. The two ends of it had braids strings along the width of them. On the red patch that finished on one of the ends had _Mason Arkwright _knitted in golden cursive with the picture of a stag next to it.

"It's amazing," he said before looking up at me, amazed. "You made this?"

"Mhm," I hummed happily, bouncing on the heels of my shoes. I then stopped and scratched the back of my head, feeling a bit embarrassed, and looking down at the wooden floorboards beneath my feet, "It took me a couple of months to finally get the stitching done correctly. I remember how you told me that your old scarf got destroyed awhile back, and with the seasons getting colder, I figured that I'd make you one for your birthday, you know?" I flustered, knowing that I was rambling.

His lips pulled into a smile, "I love it."

"Really?" I looked over to him, feeling a grin on my face. "I mean, it isn't the best, but it should keep you warm enough—"

"I love it," he repeated. I watched as he wrapped the scarf around his neck, allowing the two ends to fall to his waistline. "Truly. It's absolutely perfect."

"Oh, good," I breathed out a sigh of relief. My hand unconsciously went to my pounding heart, as if to keep it from escaping my chest, "I'm glad to hear that."

"How about I walk you back to the Ravenclaw Tower before I head over to Gryffindor?" he asked me.

"Sure," I nodded to him, feeling nothing but smiles on my face. "Actually, I bet if we shrink those other gifts of yours, they might fit into the box. It'll be easier to carry them all that way."

"Great idea," he grinned. "Let's hurry up then. I think that it's almost one by now."

"Okay."

* * *

><p>As we made our way to the Ravenclaw tower, Mason pulled to a stop in front of one of the large windows. I halted a few paces ahead of him when I realized he was no longer beside me, turning around to face him with a questioning twist to my features.<p>

"Sorry," he said, glancing towards me then out the window, where a pale blue light leaked in front the outside. It added a glow to his skin while also darkening the shadows along his features. He chuckled, but it seemed like he was laughing to himself, "I just remembered... You like the moon, don't you?"

I nodded my head, approaching him with curiosity, "Yes, I do. Why do you ask?"

Wordlessly, he pointed his forefinger out the glass structure that prevented the wind from chilling us. I followed the length of his arm then beyond it to find the waxing gibbous state of the white moon against the dark navy sky, specks of stars glittered across it. It was enough for air to catch in my throat as I stared at the moon in all its beauty.

"Oh, _wow_..." my voice sounded breathless. "It's beautiful..."

"Yeah, sure is..."

I felt like I was being watched, but when I turned to look at Mason, he was still staring at the moon. When my gaze didn't leave him, he finally looked at me with a charming smile.

"Shall we head back?" he asked.

I puffed my cheeks out in a pout, "You show me the moon then just expect me to want to leave already?"

"It's not that," he laughed lightly. "I just don't want us to get in trouble for being way past curfew, you know?"

"I guess..." I replied, sighing sadly. I muttered more to myself than to him, "_I haven't watched the moon in forever, though..._"

"Oh, c'mon, love," he nudged me with his shoulder, causing me to look up at his cheerful face. "How about we go stargazing when the moon's full?"

"Really?" I couldn't help the ecstatic grin stretching my lips. "Would you really do that with me?"

His eyes softened, which caused another strange flutter in my chest, as he watched my excited state, "Of course I would, love."

"Oh, wait..." I looked back at the state of the moon, feeling myself grow depressed again. "The full moon won't be until the 23rd, which is a school night... The teachers would never allow—"

"Who said that they had to allow it?" Mason said, a mischievous glint in his eyes that matched the impish grin creeping along his lips. "We'll just wait until the prefects made their rounds and the teachers did their final check, then we'll meet up by that old willow tree near the Black Lake. We won't be there very long, only an hour or two."

My eyes widened at the idea, and my heart started to pound quickly against my chest once again, but this time it was over the fact of doing something like this, something so against the rules...

I felt a smile grace my features, "Sounds like a plan to me."

"Great," he ruffled my hair. "Now let's get you back to the tower before Sapphira gets _too_ suspicious."

"Oh,_ no._.." I groaned at the thought of our blond friend sitting on her bed, watching the door with bird-like vision with Nix curled up against her lap as they waited for my return. "She's going to have my hide!"

"Then let's get you back quickly!" he laughed, grabbing hold of my hand and pulling me into a jog down the stone hall.

I started laughing at the delightful expression on his face, and I hadn't even realized that we were already in front of the steps leading up to the tower once my giggles subsided.

"And here we are, milady!" Mason said rather loudly, giving an exaggerated bow that a prince would do for a fair princess at a ball. "Your bed awaits for your peaceful slumber on this fateful night."

Giggling again, I curtsied, bowing my head in mock respect to him, "Why, thank you, my gracious knight. It has been so kind of you to escort me back to my tower."

"It had been my greatest pleasure," he took my hand, pressing his lips gently against my knuckles. He looked up at me as a fire burned my cheeks under my skin, and he winked, "Greatest indeed, love. Well, good night, and sleep well. I'll see you in the morning for breakfast."

With that, before I could even register the possibility of stuttering a word to him, he turned and walked away from me at a brisk pace.

Before he could get too far away, I called out to him, "G-Good night, Mace! Have a good night's rest!"

He didn't bother to look back at my flustered form, but he did wave to me as he continued his destination towards the Gryffindor tower on the other side of the castle.

As soon as I could no longer see his silhouette down the hall, I dashed up the stone staircase without an ounce of hesitation. I didn't stop running until I made it all the way up to the entrance to the common area.

The bronze eagle stated his riddle, "_I am weightless, but you can see me. Put me in a bucket, and I'll make it lighter. What am I?_"

"A hole," I quickly answered it, slipping through the door before it was fully open. As it slammed shut, I was already across the room and making my way up the stairs towards the girls' dormitories.

I opened the door to my shared room, poking my head inside to find just enough moonlight pouring into the room for me to see clearly, with the advantage of my mysterious sense of night vision, which allowed me to see the outlines of shapes in the dark. I was able to see two sleeping lumps snoring soundly in their beds, but when I turned towards Sapphira's, she was missing.

Quickly, I looked over to my own bed to find someone curled up under the covers. I bit my lip to prevent my giggles from awaking my interrogator or our other roommates.

I tip-toed my way over to the dresser, gathered some pajamas, then quietly made my way to the bathroom. I changed, flinching at every sound I made because it sounded like the loudest noises in the whole two worlds, magic and muggle, amongst the silence.

When I poked my head out, thankfully, everyone was still asleep, so I hurried over to Sapphira's empty bed. It wasn't long after I hid under the chilly blankets did I feel a weight jump onto the bedding. Nix's small form silently curled up against the back of my knees before we finally fell asleep.


	10. Chapter 9

The day after Mason's birthday, Sapphira had harassed me into telling her everything that happened between he and I while she had fallen asleep waiting for me, something that she keeps pounding into my head. After I told her what went on between the two of us, her lips pursed into a small pout until I told her about the plans with him to go stargazing, something I immediately regret due to the fact that in the very moment I said it, her face was graced with a mischievous grin that made a chill go down my spine. It was then that she made me promise, on the day of our hanging out, to meet her in the dorms after classes were over since I vaguely remember Mason telling me to skip dinner this evening.

So, as promised, I leaned against the pillar that was part of my bed, arms crossed and foot tapping impatiently as I awaited for my blond friend's arrival. My hair had just finished fully drying from my shower an hour ago.

Nix sat next to me on the comforter, watching me with a knowing gaze before she murred at me, "_You know that she's going to turn you into a doll, right?_"

"I know," I replied irritably, "but you'd think that if she was really going to do it, then she'd at least be willing to show up on time."

"_Well, it's Sapphira after all,_" the white cat rolled her green eyes. "_She probably found that Diggory boy and—_"

She was cut off by the door opening to reveal a blond head poking in with a sheepish grin, "So sorry, Fliss! I got caught up, and—"

I interrupted her just as she did with my cat, "And you bumped into Diggory, right?"

"How'd you know?!" she gasped, eyes widening with surprise.

"Lucky guess," I muttered, glancing down at Nix to see the proud smirk on her furry lips. "Anyway, you wanted to doll me up?"

"You know," Sapphira told me, tossing her bag on her bed then heading over to the closet, "with all these guesses of yours, I'd figure that you were the prophecy girl, not me."

I couldn't help but chuckle at her accusation, "We all know that I wouldn't be able to handle the freeze frames half as well as you do. I mean, you pretty much take a ten minute break right after one, then you're right back on your feet again. That takes skill."

"And the ability to adapt," she smiled at my praise. She waved me off as she pulled out a white piece of clothing, "Anyway, I have the perfect thing for your date tonight!"

"_Date?!_" I nearly choked on the air I was breathing in. "It's not a date, Saph."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever you say," she rolled her green eyes at me. "It's totally _not _a date, you know, because you're_ not_ going on a romantic evening with Mason, where he's probably set up a picnic with roses... or maybe lilies, or _orchids!_ He knows how much you love both of those more than roses."

As she continued to ramble with girlish squeals at the excitement that I may possibly get a love life, in her dreams, I merely sighed and seated myself on my bed. I watched as she went back and forth from each side of the room, gathering different items then laying them out on her bed. Some of those things made me want to run away and hide for my life, like her cosmetics bag and curling iron.

Once she was finished with her own little scavenger hunt, she whirled around to face me with her hands on her hips in a haughty fashion and a scarily-happy grin on her lips. I gulped at her reaction, backing myself away from her approaching steps until my back met the solid wall near the window before the coolness of stone seeped through the thin cloth of my uniform.

"Oh, _no_..." I whined.

Her smile grew wicked, "Oh, _yes,_ my friend..."

After she was finished, resulting with multiple burn marks on her fingers and hidden on my scalp, plus bruises from both of us getting into a small wrestling match when it came to the cosmetics she expected to put on my face, she pulled me into the bathroom to look at myself in the full-sized mirror.

My eyes widened at the brunette staring back at me; my reflection looked like a completely different person.

My dark hair was mostly pulled back into a simple, yet elegant, ponytail that was kept in place with a clip and multiple bobby pins; the curly end of the tail resting peacefully on my shoulder. My fringe was parted to were it curved perfectly around my face then curled passed my jawline. My eyes were icier from the black eyeliner that bolded them beautifully with a light grey eyeshadow that gave my lids a smoky look to them. My cheeks were dusted with a light pink blush, giving them a certain rosiness that went well with my pale skin tone. Thankfully, Sapphira didn't have to use the concealer due to my clear complexion, which she complained that she envied, because I honestly hated the way it looked.

The top half of the white dress fit snugly around my figure, showing off some curves that I didn't even realize I had. The flowy skirt stopped just passed my knees, giving off a nice summery vibe despite the chilly air. A pair of silver sandal wedges were stuck on my feet by the matching buckle fastened around my ankles.

_I have to admit,_ I thought quietly, gazing at my reflection in awe while Sapphira crossed her arms and leaned against the sink counter, seeming satisfied with her work, _I really can look beautiful sometimes. There's just one problem_...

"You know that it's friggin' cold outside, right?" I asked, raised a brow at her. "Mason probably would have preferred jeans and a hoody."

Huffing up, Sapphira glared at me, "I put all that work into making you look like this, and _that's_ the thanks I get?!"

I turned to look at her, giving her an innocent smile, "I love you?"

"I love you, too," she muttered, rolling her eyes. She then perked up, "Anyway, I have to get to dinner, and you have to meet up with Mason."

It was after she finally left that a wave of nerves washed over me. I sat back on my bedding, pressing my forehead against my palms to prevent ruining Sapphira's hard work on my face.

"_Are you alright?_" a familiar mewl sounded from behind me. "_You don't seem well._"

"I'm fine, Nix," I told her, not bothering to look at the white cat sitting loyally on the blankets. "I'm just a little... anxious, I suppose."

"_It's only Mason, you know,_" she murred, licking her forepaw. "_I mean, unless you've been a liking towards the boy, I see nothing that you should be nervous over_."

"It's not '_only Mason_'," I mocked. "I don't know what's going on with me. He's been in my head since the birthday party, and I can't get him out. Every time I saw him, I could feel myself getting flustered or a flutter goes off in my chest. I just..."

"_You like him,_" she stated simply.

"I do not," I replied.

"_You do._"

"Not."

"_Do._"

"Not."

"_Do._"

"I do _not,_" I snapped, "and I will _not_ get into this argument with my _cat_. Now, I'm going to go meet up with Mason, even if it means I have to freeze my arse off in this get-up."

Without another moment of possible hesitation, I hurried out of the room, knowing that all the students and faculty had gone off to dinner. It was my lucky night since not a single person was around, not even prefects, at this hour.

I didn't stop walking until the willow tree and a familiar silhouette came into view.

I paused for a moment, only to take a deep breath to calm my pulsing nervous system, before I made my way over to the boy, who had just finished placing a dark blanket on the ground under all the vines of protective tree.

I looked over to where the moon was high in the sky, rising through the dark branches of the fearsome Whomping Willow as it shook itself free of a few of the loosened autumn-colored leaves that floated to the ground gracefully once they were freed.

"_Ow,_" I groaned as my hand flew to my head, feeling pain shoot through my head. It was similar to the migraine I had gotten when Fred showed me the _Marauder's Map_. I shut my eyes tightly, but the headache only subsided when I caught the sound of footsteps approaching me.

"Jeez, Fliss, I thought you'd never—_Whoa_."

He cut himself off once his eyes found me, taking in my outfit. I noticed that he was only wearing a pair of his comfortable jeans, the ones with a grease stain on the left knee, and a solid white tee under an open, black hoody.

I felt myself smile nervously as my hand fell away from my temple. He was dressed so casually compared to the classy get-up that our blond friend had set me up with.

"S-Sapphira attacked me," I stammered, feeling uncomfortable under his gaze. I shifted my weight on my feet, feeling my hands find each other behind my back. "It's a little much, don't you think?"

"It's definitely different," he stated, giving me another once over before his trademark smile of charm stretched along his lips, "but you look very beautiful, love."

"Th-thanks."

I couldn't help the stuttering, but I knew that it wasn't from the chill of the wind. He, though, seemed to have taken it that way, "Oh, gosh, you must be cold. Hold on. I had a feeling that Saph might go a little overboard with how happy she looked at lunch today."

He ducked behind the tree for a moment before returning with something in his arms. I tilted my head at what looked to be some folded clothing.

"A hoody and a pair of my old pajama pants," he answered the silent question floating in the air. He shrugged and held them out to me, "I figured that you wouldn't mind."

"Oh, you are _wonderful!_" I squealed happily, launching myself at him and throwing my arms around his neck in a quick hug before I took a few steps away. I pulled the slightly larger sweatpants over my freezing legs, feeling warmth already spread over them while I put the hoody on.

"You wouldn't mind if I did something really quick, did you?" he asked, taking a step forward.

I felt my pulse jump, but I couldn't help blurting out, "What is it?"

"Just hold on a second." His hands went behind my head, pulling the clip from my hair then a few of the bobby pins. As his fingers carefully ruffled through my hair, I felt my scalp relax from its tightened state, and I sighed happily. "Better?"

I looked up to see him smiling at me, which I easily returned, "Much."

"I've always liked your hair down, anyway," he told me, rubbing the back of his neck as if it embarrassed him to say so. "It's like a chocolate waterfall."

I laughed at his remark as we sat down on the blanket.

"Here, I had asked the kitchen elves to make us something to eat, too," he said, holding out a sandwich to me. "They, of course, as soon as they heard your name, made a bunch of different foods, including dessert."

"Oh, _yum!_" I said after taking a bite out of the simple sandwich. Once that was finished, I was handed a piece of chocolate cake. "Sometimes, I think those house elves stalk me to find out my tastes."

He laughed, "They're just trying to show appreciation for the kindness you've shown them over the years. Don't read too much into it."

"_Pfft,_" I snorted at him.

Once ours bellies were full, we laid back on the soft blanket. The tree was parted just perfectly enough to show off the beauty of the night sky with its twinkling stars and bright, full moon but also enough shield us from prying eyes that may try to catch us.

It was truly beautiful to view the sky at this time of night.

Despite my earlier nerves, I felt completely safe with Mason next to me. He was radiating with a sense of security that I enjoyed having around, especially when I was in trouble or having problems. He just knew exactly what to do without me saying a word.

It wasn't long before I found myself snuggling against his side, head on his shoulder, and his arm resting along the curve of my waist. I soon fell into a peaceful sleep while being surrounded by the sound of the calm waves from the lake and the scent of a minty forest.

* * *

><p>When I awoke, I stretched out, feeling the familiar weight of my comforter on top of my body. I shot up a second later, eyes wide with alertness before I realized that I was merely in my own room that I shared with the other girls.<p>

Dizziness washed over me, causing me to fall back against the pillows.

I let out a quiet groan, placing my cold fingers over my eyes for a long moment before glancing towards the window to find the moon just barely poking out from the horizon as it sunk, taking the night colors with it as it hid from the warm glows of dawn.

I looked up at the canopy of my bed, staring blankly at the navy silk that poured from the top towards the pillars that kept my bed in place.

_How did I get back into my sleeping quarters? The last thing I remember about last night was me falling asleep next to Mason..._ I pondered for a long moment before heat rose in my cheeks. _That's right, I fell asleep next to him. He couldn't possibly have carried me back, could he?_ I shook my head slowly. _No, no, that's not possible... Well, I guess it's not too impossible since our password is a riddle, but still.._.

Sighing, I pushed the mystery to the back of my mind for now and flipped the covers off of me. I swung my legs off the edge of the bed then heaved my tired body up before I made my way towards the dresser. After a moment, I realized that I was still in the borrowed clothes from last night, which caused my cheeks to flame up, then I quickly dressed and went to the bathroom.

When I looked up at my reflection, I nearly screamed at the sight.

My hair was all over the placed, and my eyes looked like a raccoon with how smeared the eyeliner and mascara had gotten overnight. In the white pools around my irises, red veins stretched towards the icy color. Black gunk filled the corner of my eyes.

I looked like a complete mess!

With a heavy sigh, I pushed my palms against my eyelids, enjoying the coolness of my hands for a moment before I realized my mistake. I quickly washed my hands, scrubbing away the smudges, then I grabbed a white cloth and went to work on my face.

Once I looked not-so monstrous, I added a thin layer of eyeliner around my eyes. I didn't need much due to the smokiness that was left over on my lids from the previous amount of eyeliner; it had pretty much replaced the eyeshadow. I then grabbed a brush and worked out my hair.

I was surprised that my lower lip wasn't bruised or bleeding from how hard I had been biting down on it due to the amount of knots that were in my hair. Luckily, the curls had fallen out on their own while I slept, so I hadn't needed to bother with the straighter, but the knots were horrendous.

I let out a quiet, relieved sigh once I was able to easily comb my fingers through my chocolate strands without getting them caught, then I pulled my hair back into a ponytail.

_"I've always liked your hair down, anyway," he told me, rubbing the back of his neck as if it embarrassed him to say so. "It's like a chocolate waterfall."_

I shook away the memory of Mason's words before they were able to get me flustered before I slipped out of the bathroom and looked over my sleeping roommates. I noticed a white ball of fur curled up on Sapphira's bed, next to the lump of a girl under the covers.

"_Nix?_" I whispered, earning a grumpy murr from the feline. Her eyes cracked open, just barely enough to see me, as she raised her head to look at me. I smiled softly as I kept my voice low, "_Hey, sweet girl, do you know how I got back in here?_"

"_Mason carried you,_" she murred again, letting her head fall gracefully back down on the blanket over Sapphira's foot. "_I saw Hayden right behind him, making sure that he didn't do any funny business after he settled you on your bed. The others were already asleep, but I stayed up to make sure that you got in okay._"

"Thank you," I patted her head gently before she closed her eyes and returned to sleeping.

_So, Mason __**did **__carry me to my room,_ I thought, feeling my face heat up as I stepped out of the dorm room and closed the door quietly behind me,_ and Hayden was the one to let a Gryffindor into the Ravenclaw Tower. I hope that he doesn't get into any trouble, and I sure hope that Dumbledore didn't notice that I was missing at dinner!_

I briskly walked down the stone stairs into the common area to find a familiar form curled up on the armchair that I had usually claimed for myself. I felt a smile stretch along my lips as I approached him, only to find that he had fallen asleep.

"Hayden," I said, shaking the boy's shoulder. "Hayden, wake up."

A irritable groan escaped his lips as his silver eyes fluttered opened, "What do you want?"

It wasn't a rude question, but more of a tired one from a boy that was half-asleep. I couldn't help the smile widened as I bent down and pressed my lips against his cheek, "Thank you."

His eyes shot open when I pulled away. His face turned a crimson color as he frantically scrubbed away at his cheek, "Aw, man, _gross!_ Woman, I love you like a sister, but seriously?!"

"That's what happens when you do favors for me," I winked at him, giggling at his reaction.

"That is the _last _bloody time I help you out then!" he declared. Once he felt like all my girly germs were off his face, he looked up at me, "Probably not, but that's what I'm going to say anyway. Hey, what time is it?"

"It's just after dawn." I shrugged. "I figured that I was going to go get breakfast while the others were sleeping, but I saw you down here. Why were you sleeping on the chair anyway?"

He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and yawned, "I must've fallen asleep while reading this book I snagged from your room last night."

I tilted my head as he showed me the title, feeling surprise bloom over my features as I recognized the novel as the one I had recently finished, the same one I had shown Helena on the first day of the year, right after they sorted the fledglings.

"Interested in _animagi?_" I asked, raising a curious brow at him.

"A bit," he nodded. "Can I ask you something?"

"Anything."

"Do you ever feel like you were..." He hesitated, biting on his lower lip and looking away before he nodded to himself. His silver gaze met mine as he finished his sentence, "born in the wrong skin?"

"As if you should've been born as something else?" I answered with a questioned, noting his own shocked expression and nodding head. "Yeah, I have."

"What do you think that you should've been?" he questioned.

"A type of cat," I told him, shrugging casually. "I've noticed that sometimes I mimic Nix's actions without realizing and also when she's not even around."

"Huh..." he seemed thoughtful for a moment before he grinned, "I can see it. Actually, I think that I'd be more like a... great powerful wolf!"

"More like the _pup_ I always call you." I chuckled, ruffling his dark curls as he looked up at me with annoyance. I grinned down at him when I heard his stomach growl, "Anyway, go get freshened up so we can go get some food."


	11. Chapter 10

Halloween had granted the castle a beautiful bloom of spooky orange and black decorations to be scatter neatly about. Carved pumpkins with candles flickering inside them floated casually in the air of the Great Hall as the students dined on their dinner and sugary treats. The faculty and headmaster had delighted smiles on their faces as they conversed with each other and watched the children's gleeful faces.

"Hey, Saph?" I turned to the blond beside me after I took a sip of my pumpkin juice as she timidly poked at her annual fill of candy, something that her family hadn't given her very often. It was unusual for her to not be devouring it by now. I paused my previous question for a new one, "Hey, what's wrong?"

"I'm just..." she sighed, running a shaky hand through her blond strands before she looked at me with frightened green eyes, "I've been concerned about that vision I had during Mace's party."

"The one about the lavatories?" I decided to try reassuring her. "I told Snape about it, and he said that he would check into it for me." I paused for a moment then corrected myself, "Well, actually, he kind of grunted at me, told me to focus on my classes rather than nonsense, then strode off as if I had merely asked him when the next Potions test was. Knowing him, he wanted to seem more casual about things, so I know he's still going to check on it anyway."

"I'll never understand how you're able to get through to that man," she smiled, yet the feeling didn't quite reach her eyes as she continued to stare blankly at her plate, "but that's not what you wanted to ask me about."

"No, it wasn't," I admitted.

"Then what was it?"

I sighed, "Have you seen Hay—"

Just as I was about to say his name, the boy got up from the other end of the long table and made his way over towards the group of redheaded Gryffindors.

With my curiosity getting the better of me, I got up and went after him. Sapphira was on my heels as I followed the curly-haired brunet.

"Hey, _Weasley!_" he spat the name with pure venom, causing for the four boys, plus the brunets Potter and Mason, to turned their heads to look at him. Heads from nearby students automatically turned towards them as well to see what was causing such an outburst from the usually quiet Ravenclaw boy.

Without another thought, his fist reeled back and hit the youngest redhead on his right cheekbone. It sent Ron sprawled out on the floor, holding his bruising cheek, as his friend and older brothers jumped up from their seats.

"_Hayden!_" Sapphira and I cried out in surprise, our eyes nearly bulging out of our heads at the sight. I took a sharp intake of air when I noticed the red tinge in his eyes, the same as what Mason told me I had when Sapphira has a freeze frame.

"That's for Hermione," he growled, holding his bloodied fist near his chest. It was a similar fashion as to what I did when my hands would hurt, the same instinct as a wounded animal.

The twins were getting in the young Ravenclaw's face, looking ready to fight when I pulled him back behind me while Harry and Percy were helping Ron up. I glared at the two redheaded boys, daring them to try to get past me to get to the fuming fledgling, as Mason pulled Sapphira away from the possible fight.

"Back off," I growled, the protective instinct over my adopted fledgling was growing to an extreme state as I watched the two angry boys in front of me.

"He punched our bloody brother!" George fumed, his face turning as red as his hair.

Fred raged next to him, mimicking the heated look on his brother's face, "You can't protect him from that, Lumen!"

"Back _off!_" I repeated, roaring at them, which made them flinch in surprise. Their eyes grew wide for a moment as they stared at me, so I assumed that my own irises were fading into crimson. Instead of pursuing to challenge me, they went over to see if Ron was alright.

I turned to scold Hayden when I noticed Dumbledore walking towards us. He did _not _look happy about the scene that he, and everyone else, had just witnessed.

"Hayden Howel," his powerful voice was in a scarily calm tone; it was enough to make the boy flinch out of his raged state and into a frightened one.

"Excuse me, sir," I pulled Hayden closer to me again, feeling Sapphira's hand on the back of my cloak as she gripped it tightly. The stern gaze of the headmaster landed on me, but I fought the urge to run away and hide as I spoke surprisingly just as calmly as he did, "Hayden is part of my pack, and I take full responsibility for the peace he had disturbed on this sacred holiday. Please allow me to take care of him." I bowed deeply to him to show my respect.

I felt eyes on me all around, including shocked ones from my three friends, when I spoke to Dumbledore. No one ever dared to stand up against the headmaster and request to take the punishment of another student.

After a long moment, I glanced up at him just in time to see that he nodded, which surprised me to an enormous degree but I didn't show it, "Take him outside the Great Hall. He is no longer to enjoy the festivities."

"Understood, headmaster," I bowed my head respectively. "Thank you for your kindness and mercy."

"Felicit—"

Just as he was about to say my name, I wordlessly grabbed hold of Hayden's bicep and dragged him out of the dining area. I could feel his arm trembling with fear against my palm, but I continued on without looking at anyone.

Once the doors closed behind us, I whipped around to face him directly and asked, "Where is she?"

"W-What?" he stammered, obviously surprised that I wasn't scolding him for attacking the redhead. "You mean, H-Hermione?"

"_Yes!_" I hissed, causing him to flinch. It was clear all fight had left him the moment he saw Dumbledore's expression. "Where _is_ she?"

"Last time I heard," he told me, "she was in the girls' lavatories, crying her eyes out because of what that... that... _Weasle_ had said about her." His eyes hardened as his body tensed with anger. "Now I understand why you disliked them so much. They're arrogant _gits!_"

"_Enough!_" I snapped at him, which made him flinch back to reality.

He must have seen the fear in my eyes because he then asked, "Felicity? What's wrong? You're shaking."

"I have to get to the lavatories before it's too—"

Professor Quirrell came bolting passed us, throwing open the doors of the Great Hall, and screaming, "_Troll!_ In the dungeon!"

Without another thought, I bolted down the hall towards the lavatories, leaving a confused Hayden behind me. My mind shifted into instincts, sending thunderous pulsations through my bloodstream as adrenaline, the sweetest drug from nature, coursed through me.

As I was running, I could still hear the Professor's cries about the troll, but I could also hear the sounds of footsteps behind me. I glanced over my shoulder, and, sure enough, there was Hayden tailing behind me.

I came to a full stop, whirling around and grabbing him by the shoulders just before he could run into me. He seemed like he was about to say something, but he shut his mouth when he made eye contact with me. I knew they must have been completely red by now, "Go get Sapphira. Make sure that she says safe and calm, okay?"

"But—"

"_Go!_" I ordered, turning him around and pushing him back the way we had just come from. "I'm going to go get Granger. Just watch over Sapphira while I'm gone, and if you see Percy, tell him to _not_ let Mason come after me either. Now, go!"

As he started to run back, I turned around again and sprinted on the balls of my feet.

Once I arrived at the girls' lavatory, I sighed with such relief that I almost fell over as it washed over me. I was able to make it before the troll had the chance to.

I heard sobbing echo softly from one of the stalls, and I hurried over to knock on each one until Hermione opened one of them. Her surprised eyes were puffy, and her cheeks glistened with fresh tear tracks.

"L-Lumen?" she stuttered, sniffling. By her reaction, I could tell that my eyes were no longer shifted, thankfully. "Wh-What are you d-doing here?"

"Sweetie, we need to get out of here," I told her hurriedly, feeling my body start to shake from the adrenaline rush. "There's danger in the castle. We have to go..."

My words trailed away when I noticed her looking over my shoulder with wide, fearful eyes, and it was then that I heard the groans of a large being behind me.

"Hermione..." I spoke softly, not daring to turn around. She was too transfixed on the troll, so I hissed at her this time, "_Hermione!_"

Her scared eyes fell back to me.

"_Get into the stalls,_" I ordered her in a low tone, almost a whisper, "_and stay __**low**__ to the ground, got it?_"

She gave a tight nod before slowly backing away from me.

I could feel the troll's heavy footsteps vibrate the ground beneath my feet as it stepped forward, and I slowly turned around and looked at it to find that drool rolling down his chin.

I heard the stall door creak shut behind me just as the troll reeled back his giant club and swung. I dove towards the ground as I shouted loudly, "_Hermione, get down!_"

Her scream pierced through the air, booming over the sounds of wooden debris hitting the stone flooring of the lavatory.

"_Oi!_" I shouted towards the doorway, flailing my arms in an attempt to get the stupid troll's attention, "I'm over here, ya' overgrown _git!_"

"Hermione, _move!_" I heard the male's voice behind me just as the troll swung his club over the rest of the stalls, sending large broken planks of wood everywhere.

"_Get down!_" I roared, tackling the two people behind me as the troll spun around, nearly hitting us with the club. I looked underneath me to find Harry Potter and Ron Weasley looking a mixture of frightened and determined. "Go get Hermione while I distract the troll."

"You'll be faster," Harry stated. "You get Hermione."

There was no time to argue, so I merely nodded, "Be careful."

I rolled off of them and dashed behind the troll while he was gazing curiously at the mess he had created. Hermione was crying for help under all the debris while the boys threw random planks and stones at the creature.

Once he was distracted, I darted over to the girl and pulled Hermione by her arm, freeing her. I hurriedly led her over by the sinks.

Sadly, the troll had spotted us just as we were under the porcelain sinks and gave a thundering roar. I quickly covered the curled up girl, wrapping my robes around us as the sound of the sinks exploding behind me caught my ears. I felt the broken bits and sprays of water pelt against my back.

"_Help!_" she cried out to her friends as she clung to me.

The ground rumbled next to me as I barely felt the club brush against my side. My cloak ripped off, being tossed to the side as the troll started to thrash about. I looked up to find Harry being whipped around on top of his head, then it suddenly stopped for a moment when the brunet's wand was shoved up the creature's nose.

I made a face, one similar to a grimace.

"Do something!" Harry cried out as I searched for my own wand.

I had forgotten it in my room on my bed.

"_Dammit!_" I cursed.

"Swish and flick!" Hermione called out to Ron, catching my attention enough to see that he had his wand out. She demonstrated the wand movement with her empty fist.

"Remember the incantation!" I cried out to the redhead while the troll held Harry upside down by his left leg.

"_Wingardium Leviosa!_" he chanted, swishing his wand then flicking his wrist.

The club hovered over the troll's head before he was able to hit Harry, which made the stupid creature incredibly confused. He then looked up just before the club fell on the top of his head, causing the troll to stumble.

I dashed out from under the sinks, just barely able to catch Harry before he fell on his head. His green eyes were wide with a mixture of emotion as I pulled him away before the troll had a chance to collapse on top of the boy, but I stumbled backwards, which ended up with the brunet falling onto me.

I sighed, relieved, once I noticed that the troll was unconscious. I looked down at the fledgling in my lap, "Are you okay?"

His cheeks burned with embarrassment before he scooted to the floor beside me and nodded tightly.

I turned my attention to Hermione, "You okay, Granger?"

She turned her head towards me as she crawled out from under the sink, water spewing out of the broken on behind her, and nodded tightly, to which I smiled reassuringly to her.

I looked up at Ron, who was standing just behind me, "And you?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," he stated, nodding, as I stood up.

"Good," I said. "Then I won't feel bad about doing this."

"Doing what—"

I slapped him across his face.

"_Ow!_" he yelped. "What was that for—"

"For hurting Hermione's feelings in the beginning, you arrogant git," I growled. "If you were truly her friend, then you wouldn't have done such a thing in the first place."

He sighed heavily, and I could see the regret clearly on his face.

"Is it... _dead?_" Hermione asked as the trio approached the fallen troll.

"No," I stated, watching the rise and fall of his back, "he's merely unconscious. I suggest you get away before he wakes up and tries to kill you again."

She quickly backed away from the troll, making her way over to me. She shivered like a frightened child, so I wrapped a comforting arm around her shoulders.

I grimaced again as the creature groaned when Harry pulled his wand out of the troll's nose. It was covered in a thick slime.

"Troll boogies," he said, seeming just as disgusted as I was as he wiped it off on his cloak.

"Someone's coming," I stated, hearing the hurried thuds and clicks of footsteps approaching.

A moment later McGonagall, Quirrell, and Snape came rushing in, and poor McGonagall looked like she was about to have a heart attack once she caught sight of the scene.

As soon as they entered, I caught the smell of blood.

I looked to my Potions instructor as my nose twitched at the scent, finding him eying me with a begging look that was shockingly pitiful. I nodded tightly to him, making it seem like I almost hadn't moved at all before I sent him a stern _you-and-I-are-speaking-later_ look then averted my gaze from him.

"_Oh, my goodness..._" McGonagall said breathlessly before turning to the boys. "Explain yourselves, both of you!"

They looked lost for words.

Just as I was about to speak, Hermione cut in, "It's my fault, Professor McGonagall."

"Miss Granger?" she asked, thoroughly surprised.

I noticed the look that she and Snape were giving the young girl as she explained some lie to them, but when I looked at Quirrell, I noticed that he was staring elsewhere. I followed his gaze towards Harry, and the professor seemed to be in deep thought.

Possibly having felt my gaze on him, Quirrell's eyes flickered to mine, and I almost gasped at the dark look in them. He blinked, then it was gone, and he offered me a concerned, nervous smile.

I could have almost sworn that my mind was playing tricks on me.

"...disappointed in you, Miss Granger. Five points will be taken from Gryffindor, for your _serious_ lack of judgment." McGonagall was speaking to the frizzy girl when I brought my attention back to the situation at hand. She then turned to me and the boys, "As for you two, gentlemen, and _you_, Miss Lumen, I just hope you realize just how fortunate you three are. _Not_ many third-years students, let alone one and a pair of first-years, can take on a fully-grown mountain troll and _live_ to tell the tale..."

I glanced from her to the unconscious troll then back again when she began to speak once more.

"Five points... will be awarded to each of you," she stated, bringing smiles all around. She adjusted the emerald-colored robe over her black dress before she added, "For sheer, dumb luck."

With that, she turned away with Snape following right behind her, but not without him sending me a quick warning glance, which I smirked at.

Quirrell stammered something incomprehensible as he gestured for us to leave the lavatory. The fledglings left, but I lingered a moment longer to find the professor staring down at the fallen troll.

It made a roar-like snore, which caused him to yelp, before he turned around to find me watching him with my arms crossed under my chest. He offered me a nervous smile and laugh before hurrying out of the room.

_Something is__** seriously**__ wrong with him..._ I eyed the back of his purple turban suspiciously as I followed after him.

* * *

><p>Snape was waiting for me just outside the doors that led into the Potions classroom, standing stiffly with his own arms crossed. A deep frown was settled on his lips as his eyes narrowed on me.<p>

"You know," I told him, leaning my shoulder against the stone wall, "if you keep frowning so often, then your face will freeze like that."

He completely discarded my joke, "You are not to tell anyone what you saw."

"Yeah, yeah," I rolled my eyes, waving dismissively at his words. "Just tell me what happened, and I won't breathe a peep."

"It's none of your business," he stated simply.

"Was it Fluffy?" I asked. My gaze fell towards his wounded calf, which was hiding behind the black robes he wore. When he didn't reply, I said, "I know those markings anywhere. I'm guessing that you went to go check whatever's stashed under that trapdoor, huh?"

He sighed heavily, acting as if I was being a bother to him, which I probably was, before he nodded, "I saw someone go into the forbidden room, and I went to go see who it was when that mongrel attacked me."

"He's not a mongrel," I glared at him. "He's very sweet, and he does his job well."

"Obviously, not well enough." Snape snipped at me, spacing the words slowly to add emphasis to each one he spoke.

"Whatever," I turned my head away from him for a moment before I stood straight up and smoothed out my skirt. "Would you like me to wrap your leg for you?"

"It's fine."

"Professor."

"Leave me alone."

"You're being stubborn."

"Worry about yourself, Miss Lumen. You're covered in scrapes."

"Just let me take care of it so it doesn't get infected."

"I can do it myself."

I rolled my eyes at his childish behavior, "Fine."

He raised a brow at me, seeming surprised that I had actually allowed him to win the petty argument compared to my own usual stubbornness, but I was tired from the day's events and I had to let Sapphira and Hayden know that I was still alive.

"Have a good night, Professor," I bowed my head politely before walking away.

"Good night, Miss Lumen."

* * *

><p>Once I walked into the common area, I was instantly pulled into a tight embrace and my face was buried into a mess of blond curls as the girl said, "Oh, sweet Merlin, you're alive!"<p>

"Not for long if you keep squeezing the life out of me," I squeaked out, which was enough for her arms to release me from their captivity. I gasped for a breath of air before I was taken into another pair of arms, but this time it was Hayden. I felt something wet soak into my shoulder as his body trembled, "Whoa, hey, hey, hey. What's with the waterworks?"

"I-I thought..." he stammered, looking up at me with pitiful silver eyes that made my own heart squeeze painfully. "I was s-so scared..."

I wrapped my arms around the boy, hugging him tightly as he sobbed against my shoulder. He clung to me like a lifeline for a few moments before he stepped away, sniffled, and smiled at me, which I grinned back at him.

"You guys should know by know that it really isn't that easy to get rid of me," I winked at Sapphira, who looked like she was about to burst into another fit of tears.

She nodded slowly, a smile stretching along her lips now.

"How about we go to bed?" I asked both of them, feeling a yawn climb up my throat before it escaped through my lips. "I don't know about you two, but I'm exhausted."

"Yeah," Hayden chuckled lightly. "I think it's time we head off to bed."

"Besides," I rolled my shoulders back before scratching the back of my head, "I have a punishment to deal with in the morning, so I'm not going to see you two at breakfast."

"Felicity, I—"

I cut Hayden off before he could finished and told him, "If I'm taking the responsibility, then I'll get a lighter sentence then you would've."

He didn't seem happy about it, but he kept whatever he was thinking to himself.

"Good," I nodded. "Well, I'm heading to bed. Good night."

With that, I walked towards the staircase with Sapphira at my heels, and we walked up to our room together in silence. I didn't have to look at her to know that she was continuously glancing at me with her worried green eyes going over every scratch and forming bruise that was visible.

"You want to know what happened, don't you?" I asked, feeling a smirk twitch at the corner of my lips.

"Well, of course!" she snapped.

"I'll tell you in the morning, that way all of you can find out."

She made a face at me, one that resembled a pouting child, as she stamped her foot on the ground while I continued moving towards out room, "You're cruel!"

I laughed as I opened the door and ducked through, hearing her footsteps hurry behind me.

"_What the bloody hell happened to you?!_" Nix cried the moment she saw me.

"I'm telling everyone in the morning," I said quickly, making a mental note to keep the Quirrell out of my story-telling. "I'm too tired now."

With that, I collapsed on my bed, feeling all the soreness fully flow through my body now that I was refusing to move for the rest of the night. I shut my eyes, and I was unable to open them again, but I could hear Sapphira muttering and shuffling about the room before I felt a foaming sensation on my cuts.

It didn't hurt, but it felt strange.

An unusual, raspy sound escaped my lips, then Sapphira spoke, "It's just a bit of hydrogen peroxide to help close the wounds and kill off bacteria. I'm going to wrap you up while you sleep, okay?"

I felt like I nodded, but I couldn't have been too sure. Either way, it wasn't long after the foaminess faded away that she started wrapping bandages around my arms and legs.

I didn't know if I had fallen asleep before or after she was finished, but it didn't really matter. Once I fell into the slumber, all the soreness and pain was gone.


	12. Chapter 11

The next morning, I was standing in Dumbledore's office while everyone else was eating breakfast in the Great Hall. He was seated in his desk for once, seeming to be in deep thought with his elbows propped up on the wooden surface and his hands laced in front of his mouth.

Time ticked away, and I thought I was going to go mad from the silence for he finally spoke.

"You know that I do not tolerate violence in my school, Miss Lumen," he said quietly, looking over my bandaged wounds, which Sapphira had changed this morning before I explained what happened in the lavatory and left to meet with the headmaster, with a pair of piercing blue eyes. "If it weren't for the fact that he was part of your group specifically, he'd be suspended on the spot."

_We both know that's not the reason,_ I thought quietly, not allowing my emotionless mask to crack in front of the elderly man. _You're much more sadistic that than, headmaster. You just weren't happy that the display was in front of everyone, __**and**__ you were surprised that I was willing to take the blame for it as well_.

As if he was reading my thoughts, he nodded, "I truly was surprised when you were willing to take his punishment."

"Of course, sir," I felt a smile tug at my lips. "I mean, how often do you find an upperclassmen willing to take an fledgling's faults?"

"Not very often at all," he stated, "but, punishment must happen either way. I assume that you've already spoken with your friend?"

I nodded, "Yes, sir."

"So, he knows that, next time, I will not allow you to step in, correct?" he raised a silver brow at me. "He is very privileged to have been found by you, Miss Lumen."

"Yes, sir," I repeated, bouncing on the balls of my feet.

"You will spend winter break in detention," he told me, which I wasn't too upset about at all. Especially with what he said next, "I hear that your mother is away in in Romania with her dragon training, so she wouldn't be able to take you in this winter anyway. I assume that Mrs. Crane will be the most upset with not having you with her, but she will come to understanding after her daughter explains things, yes?"

I was speechless.

He rested his intertwined fingers on the desk, revealing a smile on his lips as he watched me. It was the same gaze that my grandfather use to give me before he passed away, "I know more about you than you think I do, Miss Lumen. You may be able to trick the Ministry of Magic, but you cannot trick an old man like me."

"Are you so sure, headmaster?" I felt a playful smile stretch along my own features as I raised a brow at him. "I know more about you than you think I do as well, sir."

"I see." He glanced over at the window for a long moment before speaking again, "Well, breakfast is almost over. You are dismissed."

"Yes, sir," I nodded respectively before making my way back over towards the staircase. Before he was completely out of my sight, I stopped and waved to him, "Thank you very much, for everything."

"Be sure to heal those wounds quickly," he called after me. "I suggest maybe going to see Madam Pomphrey."

"I might just do that!" I lied.

With that, I hurried off to the Great Hall to try and scrounge up something to eat before classes started. I didn't want to deal with teasing from the twins, or even a detention for disruption of class, in Potions due to a growling stomach. I'd never hear the end of it from Sapphira.


	13. Chapter 12

It was the Friday afternoon before the first Quidditch game of November, which happened to be tomorrow. Rumors glided through the stone hallways faster than owls with the post during breakfast.

Instead of studying with Sapphira and Hayden or gathering my supplies for my Astronomy class later tonight, I was sitting in the staffroom, my legs folded like a pretzel with Snape rolling his pant leg up for me to see his bloodied calf that looked more like a mangled piece of meat at this point.

Mr. Filch, who was the one that had pulled me away from my study session, was standing quietly next to me when he gasped at the sight. His beloved feline with crimson eyes, Mrs. Norris, twitched her nose at the iron scent.

"_You're an idiot_," I muttered under my breath, which earned me a glare from the Potions instructor. I returned the favor easily, "I don't understand why you didn't just take my offer before or even go to Madam Pomphrey for this."

"She would've became suspicious," Snape snapped. "I didn't need anyone getting their nose any further into our business than there already is."

"Whatever," I rolled my eyes at him for the fact that he didn't respond about my earlier offer. I turned to the squib, smiling sweetly to the man, "Can you hand me those bandages over there, Mr. Filch?"

He grumbled a quick "Sure," before hobbling over to the table and grabbing a roll of gauze along with a few ointments that were laying around the surface. He placed them on the floor beside me as I thanked him.

I quickly cleaned the wound to prevent any infections, which caused Snape to hiss just like the Slytherin he was when I dabbed hydrogen peroxide with a rag on his leg. The skin bubbled as the chemicals began to kill away the bacteria and start closing off his cuts.

"Blasted thing," he muttered to no one in particular. His gaze fell on me, "How are you suppose to keep your eyes on all three heads at once?"

"You mustn't say such awful things about my friends, _Uncle,_" I emphasized the word with a wicked grin, snatching the brown bottle off the ground and pouring it directly on his leg, which caused the man to howl in pain at the sizzling reaction. "Karma might just bite your rump for it, or, in this case, gnaw on your leg a little."

..._Squeeeeaaaaak..._

All of our heads snapped over to the doorway as Snape, enraged, shouted out, "_Potter!_"

His face was twisted with fury as he dropped his black robes back over his leg in a quick attempt to hide the wounds from the young fledgling, who was staring wide-eyed at me. I could easily see the mistrust growing in his green eyes.

He spoke quietly, "I was just wondering... if I could have my book back."

"Get out!" Snape roared, obviously not caring for the boy's reason for snooping around. "_Out!_"

It seemed like the Gryffindor brunet couldn't have exited fast enough, but once he was gone, I noticed that Snape was panting. His eyes were drooping, as if his lids were made of lead. Even that small burst of excitement caused him to become exhausted so quickly.

I understood why he was so hard on Harry; it was because he looked so much like his father, James, but he had the eyes of his mother. Lily, bless her soul, had been close friends with Snape and my mother, but Snape had an unforgotten love for her, which she didn't return. Instead, she ended up falling in love with the Potter boy, who had been a bully. When Lily broke away from Snape, my mother had stayed close friends with both of them despite that he had turned bitter over the years, and it had gotten even worse after Harry had been born, as my mother told me.

"Uncle," I said worriedly, causing his gaze to look over to me in question. I smiled softly to him, "why don't you sit down while I finish wrapping your leg, hn? I'm sure that it'll be easier for you."

He silently nodded, limping over to the nearest armchair and gracefully fell into it.

As I was migrating the medical supplies over to him, he spoke in a quiet tone, "I suppose that you're going to be harassed now, Felicity."

"Well, of course," I shrugged nonchalantly as I wrapped the gauze around his wounds, being sure to tighten them enough to keep them on but leaving them loose enough to let it be comfortable. "Harry will probably tell Ron and Hermione, then Ron will tell the twins because he can't keep his mouth shut for anything, then the twins will ask Mason. Mason will probably ask Sapphira, or maybe even Hayden, and then I'll have either one, both, or all three on my case for not telling them about how close you and my mother are."

"You know that even if she didn't make me promise to watch after you, that I would anyway, right, Felicity?" he asked softly.

When I looked up at him, he was staring at me as if a frightened young boy, or maybe even as a father looking at his daughter. I smiled to him as said, "Of course, Uncle. I know you better than most students do, so I know that you have a softer side. Even if you prefer not to show it very often."

"Good," he sat up, reached over, and patted my head fondly.

The display of affection had clearly caught both me and Filch off guard, especially with how stiff and self-kept that Snape usually was.

I quickly composed myself, pulling his robe back over his now-bandaged leg, and treated the situation as if it hadn't even happened when I spoke, "I hope you know what I desire for my payment now, Uncle."

He looked at me for a long moment, seeming to almost fall asleep, before he sighed heavily and pulled a brass key from a pocket hidden within the black folds that clung to his thin frame. "It's the middle drawer on the right."

"Thank you." I took the key from his hands and bowed my head slightly. "Now you rest here for awhile. It seems that you've lost quite a bit of blood from messing with Fluffy again then letting your wounds open up after not getting them properly treated."

He nodded tiredly, waving me away.

I turned towards the squib, who was standing off to the side silently, "Mr. Filch, will you please go down to the kitchens and fetch something for Professor Snape to eat?"

"Right away," he gave me a crooked smile before jogging off. His cat companion on his heels as her fluffy tail swished about.

I glanced over to Snape to find that he was already fast asleep, so I grabbed the blanket I had been using earlier and covered him with it before I exited the room quietly, being sure to shut the door behind me to prevent disturbance from anyone.

I made my way through the halls towards the Slytherin dungeons, which made my skin crawl from the cold, eerie darkness that surrounded me. It was the perfect territory for the snakes that slithered about it, but it wasn't very good for the reptiles to live in.

I found Snape's office with ease, despite earning a few suspicious glances from the snobby students that were heading towards the Slytherin entrance to the common area. I ignored them as I entered the gloomy, dimly-lit room and shut the door behind me.

The shadowy walls were lined with shelves of large glass jars filled with slimy, revolting things, such as bits of animals and plants, floating in potions of varying colors. The fireplace was unlit, which was a good thing since I was afraid of the very smell of the room might cause a fire to spread.

_How he can stand being in this room most of the time, I'll never know._ I shook my head, shaking some of the growing dizziness away as I headed over to his desk._ Now, he said it was the middle drawer on the right..._

I found it, sticking the key in the hole and turning it.

_Click_.

I pulled the drawer out to find _Quidditch Through the Ages_ with a yellow sticky-note attached to it with _Potter_ written in neat cursive laying on top of whatever else was inside. I grabbed the book and was about to close the drawer when something silver caught my eye.

"What's this?" I questioned aloud, pulling a heart-shaped locket out by the thin chain.

I dared a closer glance at the shiny object to find the word _Always_ carved in the same neat cursive as the sticky-note on the front, and when I popped it open, I saw a picture of three students, two females with a scrawny raven-haired male between them, that were either third-years or maybe even fourth-years.

I instantly recognized my mother on the left, so I assumed that the redheaded female on the far right was Lily Potter (_née_ Evans), which meant that the awkward boy in the middle was...

"_Snape..._" the name left my lips in a whisper. I felt a sad smile tug at my lips, "This is a picture of when they were all still close friends... He probably sits in here staring at it when he's not working."

I snapped the locket shut and gently placed it back where it belonged before I shut the drawer in turn and locked it up to prevent any sneaky Slytherins from snooping inside easily.

I placed the key in my pocket, noting to return it to Snape before the Quidditch game tomorrow, and left his office with the book pressed against my chest.

I made my way all the way to the portrait of the Fat Lady, who furrowed her brows in confusion when she saw me.

"You're not a Gryffindor..." she said suspiciously.

"No," I admitted, smiling sweetly to her, "but I'd like to see Harry Potter, please."

"And what's your business with him?" she asked nosily.

I raised an unamused brow at her, "I don't mean to sound rude, but that's none of your business, madam."

"Then I don't suppose you really want to see him," she stated in a snippy tone, turning her back to me.

I glared at her back, growing frustrated, when a familiar voice called from behind me, "Felicity? What are you doing here?"

I whirled around to find Percy standing there with a puzzled expression on his face, but his presence brought great relief tot wash over me, "Oh, Percy! I was just trying to return a book to Harry, but she won't summon him for me."

"I see..." he looked passed me to raise a brow at the spirit of the woman living in the portrait.

"_Hmph!_" she grunted stubbornly.

"Well," he sighed, "why don't I deliver the book for you instead? Would that be alright?"

"Really?" I felt a grin pull at my lips. I threw my arms around his neck in a quick hug before putting the novel in his hand, "Oh, you're positively wonderful! Alright, well, thank you. I'll be seeing you then!"

"You're welcome," he waved at me, which I returned, as I headed over to the Ravenclaw tower to finally be able to return to my group of friends.

When I got back, Hayden and Sapphira questioned me, obviously curious as to why Filch needed me, but I merely told them that I had asked Snape about a certain potion earlier in the day and I had forgotten that I was suppose to meet with him after classes were over for the day.

That seemed to have satisfy them enough because they left me alone, and the three of us studied until nearly eight o'clock at night before I left for my Astronomy class.

* * *

><p>The next morning had a chill that threatened to settle down in the very marrow of one's bones if they weren't dressed correctly for the weather, and the Great Hall was full with the delicious scents of the breakfast delicacies that were specially cooked for the day's events while the students cheerfully chattered away about looking forward towards a good Quidditch match later on.<p>

When I entered, I noticed Harry looking unusually pale while his friends attempted to coax him into eating something, which he seemed to be refusing with a constant shake of his head.

I walked over to the table just as Gryffindor boy with an heavy Irish accent was speaking, "Seekers are always the ones who get clobbered by the other team."

"Thanks, Seamus," Harry said sarcastically, watching the other boy pile ketchup on his plate of sausages before he noticed my presence. His eyes went wide, "G-Good morning, Felicity!"

"Relax, I'm not going to put a hex on you or anything," I raised an amused eyebrow at him as he stiffened. My joke seemed to have eased the tension a bit, but he was still watching me cautiously, "Anyway, I wanted to make sure that you got the book back."

"Wait," Ron perked up, looking at me with wide blue eyes, "_you_ got that book back from Snape? How?!"

_I guess he hadn't told them after all,_ I thought to myself, sparing a glance at the nervous-looking brunet. I smirked at the redhead, patting his head, "I've got a way with him,"

Ron smoothed his ruffled hair a bit before grinning, "I wish you were in Potions with us. Maybe then Snape wouldn't have such a hawk's eye on us, right, Harry?"

Ignoring his friend, Harry stood from his seat, "Actually, Felicity, would it be alright if I spoke to you privately?"

I glanced over to the Ravenclaw table to find that none of my friends have arrived yet. I looked back over that the famous boy and nodded, "I've got some time."

"Wonderful," he smiled, but it seemed a little forced as we exited the Great Hall. He pulled me over to the stone wall so that we weren't standing out for curious eyes before he spoke to me in a low voice, "I wanted to let you know that I hadn't told my friends about that '_uncle_' business with Professor Snape."

"Thank you," I nodded to him. I narrowed my eyes coldly at him, "but it wouldn't have been your business to tell in the first place, so I appreciate that you didn't go spreading it around."

"I was just curious as to how you were related to him was all," he stated nervously, but it was more of a question than anything. He was testing his limits with me.

"I'm not technically related to him," I said simply. "He's a friend of my mother's, and that's more than I'm willing to tell you about it for now, Potter."

_Snape would have my hide if I said anything about Lily to him,_ I warned myself.

He sighed heavily and nodded, "I'm sorry, but thank you for telling me anyway."

I ruffled his hair, "You're a good kid, Harry, but you mustn't get too involved in other people's affairs. It might just end up killing you one of these days, and I'd hate to see that happen." I grinned at him, "Oh, and good luck with the match today!"

With that, I returned to the Great Hall and filled my plate until my pack appeared.

Mason was looking a bit green, as he always did before a game, when he seated himself beside me, resting his head on my shoulder with a groan, "Do I _have_ to go today?"

"Yes," I said, stroking his cheek lightly. "You have to go out and prove to us what a great Chaser you are this year. You were telling me that Alistair was drilling you this summer."

Another groan.

"Oh, come now, Mace," Sapphira reached over with a reassuring smile, sitting down across from me, as she patted his hand. "I'm sure things won't go as badly as last year."

"_Shh!_" I hissed, but it was too late.

"That's_ it!_" Mason stood abruptly, "I'm not going. I'm taking the _Nope_ train right out of here. I'll just tell Wood that I'm not feeling well enough for the game. He'll _have_ to let me go for the day."

He stormed out of the room.

"Great work, Saph," I sarcastically praised, standing up with a sigh. "I'll go retrieve him."

"Sorry, Fliss," she tucked her head sheepishly between her shoulders, like a turtle crawling back in its shell.

* * *

><p><span><strong> <em>[Sapphira's Perspective]<em>**

"What happened last year?" Hayden asked, looking at both of the girls rather owlishly.

"Ask the blond," Felicity stated, leaving the Great Hall before she had even been able to touch the food on her plate with a fork. There was the faintest sound of a stomach growling in displeasure before she was completely gone.

Hayden then turned in his seat so he was facing Sapphira, waiting expectantly for an answer to his question.

"Well..." she started with a guilty sigh for even bringing the event up, "our first two years were terrible for all three of us. There was the fire for Felicity during our first year, and she has a nasty scar along her side from it. My freeze frames started last year, and it causes my whole body to become vulnerable if I'm alone. Then Mason... Well, Mason almost got killed during a Quidditch game."

"_What?_" the boy's silver eyes went large and round, almost bulging out of his skull. "What happened?!"

"Marcus Flint, the Slytherin Captain and Chaser," she explained, "is a very... _brutal _player. He'll do anything he can to win the game, even if it meant badly hurting someone. Last year, Mason almost scored a winning goal, but Flint saw him. He knocked Mason right off his broom, and if Felicity hadn't..." Her eyes began to sting with tears, but she quickly dabbed them away with her napkin.

"_Felicity?_" Hayden furrowed his dark brows. "What did she do?"

"Well, when Flint knocked him over, Mason's broom went straight into the Ravenclaw stands. I was terrified of almost being pierced to the ground!" she shuddered at the memory. "But Felicity... She snatched it out of the air as if plucking a flower from a field, muttered an incantation to it, and next thing I know, it's zooming back onto the field and catching hold of Mason just before he hit the ground."

"Really?" he asked, eye growing bright with interest.

Sapphira nodded, "She may not look it, but she's a very talented witch. I'm actually quite envious with how Mary-Sue she is. I never thought that one could actually exist outside of books."

"It's surprising," he agreed. "I mean, she's very pretty. Mason speaks nonstop about her, and I hear from Harry that even the twins have been whispering about her."

"Robert Hilliard and Roger Davies were even after her at one point, but Hilliard found out about when she had that crush on Percy, so he went after a Hufflepuff girl, and Davies is going after some of the Gryffindor girls." she added. "Oh, and there's someone in Slytherin, too! He's yet to give up on her."

"_Slytherin?!_" His jaw went slack, but Sapphira quickly hissed him quiet. "Sorry, but that's surprising."

"I know," her eyes sparkled with delight. "He gets her a gift for Christmas every year. It's been happening since we were first-years."

"I didn't think a snob would like a bookworm like her," he stated. "Especially since she usually wears sweatpants when classes are over."

She shrugged, "I guess it must be her looks. I mean, she rarely wears make-up, but her complexion is nearly always flawless. I envy her so much for it!"

"She's really smart, though, so I doubt she'd go out with a Slytherin. Maybe a Hufflepuff, or Mason, or another Gryffindor, or even another Ravenclaw, but never a Slytherin."

"I'd hope not," she sighed. "They really are mean people."

"Especially Malfoy," Hayden nearly growled, his lip twitching in a familiar snarl. His left nostril even lifted a bit.

_Now where have I seen that look before...?_ Sapphira pondered for a moment before her eyes widened. _Felicity! Wow, she must really be taking a toll on this kid already_.

"Hayden?" she asked, a catty smile curling her lips.

"Hn?"

She propped her elbows on the table, lacing her fingers together, and rested her chin on her intertwined hands before asking, "You wouldn't happen to fancy Felicity, would you?"

"_Gross!_" he said immediately, choking on his pumpkin juice, but his cheeks burned a bit. "No way, I see her more like a sister than a girlfriend!"

Sapphira laughed, holding her hands up in defense, "Calm down, I was just curious."

"Jeez," he huffed. "What's with asking something like that out of the blue?"

"I told you," she grinned, "I was curious. Especially since when we first met you, you were giving her a rose in the common area."

He was just about to answer when Felicity's voice echoed into the room again, catching both of their attention, "I'm not doing it, Mason! It's _not _happening!"

"What in the world?" Sapphira asked aloud.

Hayden shrugged.

They turned to see the Ravenclaw girl storming just a bit ahead of the Gryffindor boy, who was hurrying to catch up to her, and Felicity had a rather sour look on her face, "You can't make me. I refuse."

"Oh, c'mon," Mason whined to her in turn. Heads were turning all about the room to see the spat going on between the usually close friends, "I bet you'd do great!"

"It's not happening," she retorted, obviously unamused with his pestering as she sat back in his seat across from the blond and shoved a mouthful of a green apple in her mouth.

"What's going on?" Sapphira asked, looking worriedly between her two friends.

"Felicity still refuses to try out for the Quidditch team," Mason explained. "Personally, I think that she'd make a wonderful Beater. It could get some of the aggression out of her."

"_Aggression?!_" Felicity snapped.

"No, I see her as more of a Seeker," Hayden insisted.

"Oh, not you, too!" she whined to the first-year, then she shot Mason a cold glare. "See what you've created!"

"If you think about it," Sapphira chirped in, "if you try out, then you won't have to make the team. It'll get Hilliard off your back about it, too."

"Yeah, I've been wondering about that." Hayden turned to her, "Why's he want you to join so badly?"

The brunette refused to answer as she chomped away angrily at her poor apple, apparently believing that if she had her mouth full, she wouldn't be forced to answer.

So, Sapphira did for her, "He walked in the common room one day after practice to find her pretty much surfing on her broomstick in an attempt to catch a fly." She leaned closer to the young brunet to whisper quietly in his ear, "_Also, when the fire occurred, apparently Felicity had flown out the window after summoning one of the broomsticks. People say she's a natural flyer._"

"It kept buzzing around my head while I was reading!" Felicity snapped, sending tiny bits of apple everywhere, which she quickly cleaned up. Thankfully, she hadn't heard the added information that Sapphira told the boy.

"Well, did she catch it?" Hayden asked, ignoring the brunette's comment. He decided not to ask about the fire.

Sapphira nodded, "He's been pestering her to join the Quidditch team ever since."

"_Yes!_" Hayden fist-pumped the air, "I was right _on_ with the Seeker!"

"Oh, shut up," Mason narrowed his eyes, shoveling a spoonful of cereal in his mouth.

"The only reason I would even _dare_ try out would be to teach those twins a lesson out on their own territory," Felicity stated, putting the apple core on the napkin beside her after taking a final bite.

"Well," a new voice entered their conversation, causing everyone to flinch in surprise and nearly making the brunette choke, "Ravenclaw goes against Gryffindor in May."

"_Devil!_" Felicity choked out, coughing and slamming her fist on the wooden table as Mason rubbed her back. Once she composed herself, she whipped around and glared at the Ravenclaw prefect, "I hate you _so_ much sometimes, Robert."

"Try-outs are tomorrow for you, Miss Lumen," Robert Hilliard smiled mischievously. "I can't wait to see what you choose to be. I hope you enjoy today's game."

She growled as he walked away.

"Oh, this is going to be interesting," Sapphira sigh, resting his cheek in her palm as she watching her fuming friend glare daggers at Hilliard's back.

"I blame you two for this," Felicity snarled at the two males at the table.

"_Us?!_" They seemed shocked by the accusation. "What about Sapphira?!"

"I did nothing," the blond held her hands up innocently in defense.

* * *

><p><strong><span> <em>[Felicity's Perspective]<em>**

The whole school seemed to be out in their respective stands that surrounded the Quidditch pitch by eleven o'clock. The stands stood tall, but it was still rather difficult to see what was going on. Many of the students had brought a pair of binoculars, but Hayden, Sapphira, and I made sure to get seats near the faculty seating, which happened to be where the commentary was being held.

The only risks were possibly getting trampled or a Quaffle to the face.

Madam Hooch, the first-year's flying instructor, stood in the middle of the field as she awaited the two teams, her own broomstick in her hand. She was dressed in her refereeing robes.

I felt a shiver of thrill go down my spine as I saw the Gryffindor team come out with Oliver Wood leading the pack. The twins were right behind him with a nervous-looking Harry tailing after them. Angelina Johnson and Mason, who was taking Alicia Spinnet's place today when she depressingly twisted her ankle on the moving staircases, walked side-by-side at the flank, standing tall and proud.

"_Woo!_" I cheered, pumping my fist in the air amongst the roar of the crowd around me. "C'mon, Mace! You got this!"

"Is she always this peppy at games?" Hayden asked Sapphira loudly.

"Only when Mason is playing!" she called out to the fledgling over the roars of cheering.

Mason's earthy eyes traveled along the the Ravenclaw stand until his gaze met mine, then his famous charming smile stretched along his lips when he saw me bouncing about on the wooden bench.

Harry also looked over at me, and I flailed my arms at him, to which he offered a smile and a wave in my direction.

"Go, Harry!" I cried out.

The Slytherin team came out from the other end, earning a full round of _boo_'s and angry cries from everyone except the snake House itself. Marcus Flint, who I sent a dagger glare towards, led them out with a cocky smirk that reveal his crooked teeth.

Madam Hooch had a quick talk with both teams, her head turned mostly towards the Slytherin Captain, before they mounted their broomsticks, and the shrill sound of her whistle echoed perfectly clear despite all the ruckus around.

Fifteen brooms rose high into the air, then they were off.

"_And the Quaffle is taken immediately by Angelina Johnson of Gryffindor—what an excellent Chaser that girl is, and rather attractive, too—_" Lee Jordan, a Gryffindor, had been doing the commentary for the match, being closely watched by the Transfiguration instructor.

"_**Jordan!**_" McGonagall's irritated voice boomed through the microphone, causing Sapphira and I to giggle at his scolding.

Jordan continued on, "_And she's really belting along up there, a neat pass to Mason Arkwright, now back to Johnson, and—no, the Slytherins have taken the Quaffle, Slytherin Captain Marcus Flint gain the Quaffle and off he goes—Flint flying like an eagle up there—he's going to sc—no, stopped by an excellent move by Gryffindor Keeper Wood and the Gryffindors take the Quaffle—that's Chaser Katie Bell of Gryffindor there, nice dive around Flint, off up the field and—Ouch! That must've hurt, hit in the back of the head by a Bludger—Quaffle take by Slytherins—that's Adrian Pucey speeding off toward the goalposts, but he's blocked by a second Bludger—sent his way by Fred or George Weasley, can't tell which—_"

"Can't tell the difference between your own friends, Jordan?" I called out teasingly to the dark-skinned Gryffindor boy, who shot me a glare.

He looked like he was about to say something, but decided against it when he remembered that McGonagall was standing next to him with her arms crossed. Instead, he went on with the commentary, "_Johnson's back in possession of the Quaffle, a clear field ahead and off she goes—she's really flying—dodges a speeding Bludger—the goalposts ahead—come on now, Angelina—Keeper Bletchley dives—misses—__**Gryffindors score!**_"

The Gryffindor stands boom with cheers that filled the cold air with their hot breaths all while the Slytherins were howling their rage and moans of disappointment. The Hufflepuffs remained quiet, seeming unsure of what to do between cheering for the Gryffindors or quietly comforting the Slytherins.

I, on the other hand, screamed my cheers at the top of my lungs along with Hayden and Sapphira on either side of me.

That's when something shiny and gold caught my eye.

The Snitch.

I felt my body instantly tense up at the sight of the fast moving ball with wings, and I had to brace myself against the wooden rail to prevent my instincts from telling me to chase it.

"Felicity?" Sapphira asked, looking rather concerned at her eyes grazed over my body language. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, I'm fine," I said a little too quickly.

She glanced at me once more, but she didn't attempt to pry anything.

"_Slytherin in possession,_" Jordan was saying, "_Chaser Pucey ducks two Bludgers, two Weasleys, and Chaser Bell, and speeds toward the—wait a moment—was that the Snitch?!_"

_Yes, it was,_ I mentally told him. _The Snitch is buzzing about like a bee on steroids._

As a murmur ran through the crowd and multiple heads whipped around in an attempt to even catch sight of the golden Snitch, Pucey dropped the Quaffle. He had been too busy looking over his shoulder at the flash of gold that whizzed passed his left ear.

In what seemed to be a great rush of excitement, I saw Harry's small form dive downward from the sky. The Slytherin Seeker, Terence Higgs, had apparently seen it, too, due to the fact that he was zooming in the same direction that Harry was going in.

Neck-and-neck, they were hurtling towards the flying Snitch.

All the Chasers paused what they were doing, seeming to have forgotten they were in the middle of a game, to watch as they hung in midair.

Harry was unsurprisingly faster than Higgs—his lighter weight giving him more speed than the larger boy—and it seemed like he had put on an extra spurt of speed.

_Wham!_

A roar of rage echoed from the Gryffindors when Flint blocked Harry on purpose, causing the fledgling's broom to spin off course. He was hanging onto the handle with one hand for dear life.

"Slimy _snake!_" I roared from my stand, earning a couple glances from my fellow Ravenclaws. "That's totally a foul!"

The Gryffindor team agreed as they screamed out, "_Foul!_"

Madam Hooch spoke angrily to Flint for a few long moments before she ordered a free shot at the goalpost for the Gryffindors, which Mason did with ease. I could almost see the smirk on his lips when he looked at the frustrated Slytherin Keeper.

Sadly, in my frustrated outburst, I lost track of where the Snitch went.

I wasn't the only one either.

Harry, once he mounted his broomstick again, was turning his head from side to side in an attempt to relocate the golden ball.

Lee Jordan, though, didn't take his time with returning to the commentary, "_So—after that obvious and disgusting bit of cheating—_"

"_**Jordan!**_" McGonagall growled at him.

"_I mean, after that open and __**revolting**__ foul—_"

"_Jordan, I'm warning you—_"

"_Alright, alright,_" the Gryffindor boy sighed finally, earning more laughter from me and my two friends. He sent a friendly grin our way, seeming happy that we agreed with his thoughts despite being scolded. "_Flint nearly kills the Gryffindor Seeker, which could happened to __**anyone,**__ I'm sure, so a penalty to Gryffindor, taken by Arkwright, who put it away, no trouble, and we continue play, Gryffindor still in possession._"

I felt the concern etch in my features as poor Harry had to dodge yet _another_ Bludger, which had gone spinning dangerously passed his head.

Then something strange happened.

His broomstick gave a sudden, frightening lurch.

I thought he was going to fall, but he was able to keep a tight hold on the handle with both hands and knees.

Then the broom did it again.

_Is it trying to buck the poor boy off?_ I wondered, my brows knitting together in confusion. _That's not right. It never did this during practice, so why now?_

At this point, the poor fledgling was zigzagging through the air, and every now and then making violent swishing movements that almost unseated him.

Jordan continued on with his commentary, not seeming to notice what was going on with the Gryffindor Seeker. "_Slytherin in possession—Flint with the Quaffle—passes Arkwright—passes Bell—hit hard in the face, hope it broke his nose!_" A stern look from McGonagall caused Jordan to cough out an unrealistic laugh before saying, "_Only joking, Professor—Slytherins score—Oh, no..._"

As the Slytherins were cheering, I watched helplessly as Harry's broom was slowly carrying him higher away from the game, jerking and twitching as it went.

"What in Merlin's name is going on with Harry?" Sapphira asked beside me as people were starting to point where the boy was dangling by the broomstick handle.

"Someone's trying to screw up the game," I growled.

His broom started to roll over and over, with him only just managing to keep a tight hold on it. When it gave a wild jerk, everyone gasped at the sight as Harry was swung off it, dangling from the insane broom by only one hand.

"Do you think that Flint had something to do with it?" Hayden asked.

"No," I shook my head. "No student has the capability for it. Pretty much nothing except powerful Dark magic can interfere with a broomstick, let alone a _Nimbus 2000_."

"_Snape!_" Hayden and Sapphira hissed together.

"It couldn't be him," I defended instantly. "Snape wouldn't do such a thing."

"You said yourself that he was too good at Dark magic to not get the position for DADA," Sapphira glared at me. "You don't think he'd do something like this to win for his own team?"

"We all know how much he dislikes Harry, too," Hayden added.

"No, I don't." I shook my head firmly. "Snape wouldn't do such a thing."

"Then look at him yourself!" she snapped, shoving the binoculars that had been hanging around her neck against my chest. "Go on, look!"

I shot her a skeptical glare before aiming the binoculars towards the Potions instructor. My eyes widened at the sight of his lips moving, his eyes remain unblinking, "No... There has to be a mistake."

"What's he doing?" Hayden asked worriedly.

"Jinxing the broom," Sapphira said irritably.

"Unless he's counter-jinxing it," I shot back. A flash of something purple caught my eye, and I moved my vision over to Quirrell, who was in the same position just above Snape's seat. "An actual Dark Arts teacher should know all kinds of ways to make a broom act funny."

"That's prosperous!" Sapphira cried out. "Have you gone _mental,_ woman?"

"I have to agree with Saph on this one, Fliss," Hayden said, looking at me doubtfully. "He's too much of a nervous wreck to be able to do anything. He hwears a necklaces of _garlic_ around his neck because the thinks it'll keep the vampires away from him."

"Look at him yourself," I spat Sapphira's words back at her, shoving the binoculars at her. "Go on then."

She glared at me for a moment, but when she looked, she gasped.

Suddenly, despite all the smells from people's breaths and the cold numbing my nose slightly, I caught the scent of fire.

"Smell that?" Hayden asked, lifting his nose into the air and taking a whiff.

"What?" Sapphira asked, obviously confused at our higher sense of smell.

I nodded, feeling a smirk stretch at my lips at the chance. I pulled my wand out from the folds of my heavy winter robes and pointed it at Quirrell while whispering to the rowan wooden stick, "_Aguamenti_."

A jet of water shot out from the tip of the wand, hitting Quirrell in the face just as Snape jumped up and attempted to stamp out the fire, which was assumed to be on his black robes.

The man clad in the purple turban whipped his head around to look for the culprit, me, but I had already hidden my wand again by the time his furious eyes grazed over me.

_There's that dark look again_, I thought, narrowing my eyes at him. _I'll have to tell Snape about that later_...

"Felicity, _look!_" Sapphira's arm shot out towards the sky above the field, and my eyes followed the length of her arm to find Harry clambering back onto his broom. "He's got control again!"

A quick movement near him caught my eye.

The Snitch again.

Suddenly, Harry was speeding toward the ground when the crowd saw him clap his hand over his mouth as though he were about to be sick. He hit the field on all fours—coughed something up—and something gold popped out from his mouth into his hands.

"I've got the Snitch!" he shouted, waving it high above his head, and the game was ended in complete confusion.

Flint, who was hovering nearby, was still howling, "He didn't_ catch_ it, he nearly _swallowed_ it!"

"Ah, shut up, you slimy snake!" I snapped at him, earning a cold glare from the upperclassmen.

He didn't respond, but he floated away from us.

Gryffindor had won by one hundred and seventy points to Slytherin's sixty points.

The stands roared with praise towards the Gryffindors and unkind comments from Slytherin.


	14. Chapter 13

By the afternoon of the next day, the excitement of yesterday was still buzzing about, but now there was a new rumor floating around to the school as well, and it was about me.

_Felicity Alya Lumen was trying out for the Ravenclaw Quidditch Team._

Robert Hilliard stood before me, hands behind his back like a muggle militant, looking over me with my beloved Cleansweep in hand and clad in the blue uniform. He was smiling at my shivering form from the cold, which I definitely was _not_ appreciating.

From the stands, I could see my group of friends sitting in the usual Ravenclaw section. They looked like they were shivering from the chill in the autumn air. Below them, I saw a flock of redheads staring owlishly at me, with a brunet boy and a frizzy-haired girl to the left of them. I also saw Hagrid beside the dark-haired duo.

"Ignore them," Robert told me, having caught my staring.

"This is embarrassing," I narrowed my eyes at him as another tremor shook me. "I don't understand why you _insist_ on me playing. I'm suppose to be up in my bed, reading a novel."

"Because you could possibly be our key to winning," he smiled, seeming unfazed by the cold. "Just like how Potter was for the Gryffindors."

"I'll be no use to anyone shivering like a chihuahua," I warned, frowning. "I'll just be huddled on my broomstick, refusing to move."

"That's why," his lips stretched further into a toothy grin as he held a hand out to me. He opened his palm to reveal a small, golden ball between his thumb and forefinger, "you'll be the Seeker."

I couldn't help but stare that the Snitch as it unfurled its wings, flapping them wildly like a hummingbird on steriods.

"You didn't think I hadn't noticed your attempt to keep yourself from leaping into the field yesterday, did you?" he asked, seeming amused by the trance that the tiny object of a ball had on me.

"It's so... shiny..." I muttered, dazed.

That earned me a chuckle from the Ravenclaw prefect.

"Alright, Felicity, I need you to do one thing, and one thing only, okay?"

I pried my gaze from the Snitch to his eyes, "Catch the Snitch and avoid everything else, especially the Buldgers."

"Okay," he rose his brows at me, obviously impressed. "Make that two things then."

My lips curled cattily at him, "I know my Quidditch. You forget that next year I'll have two friends that play it."

"Two?" His features twisted in confusion.

"Two," I nodded. I jabbed my thumb over my shoulder where my pack was, "Hayden will be trying out next year."

"Sounds like a plan to me," he grinned again. "Especially if he's been taking after you."

"Chasers after the Quaffle, and Beaters after the Buldgers, right?" I asked, raising a brow as I put my hands haughtily on my hips, to which he nodded. "We have two Beaters and three Chasers, one Keeper, and a Seeker. I'll be taking position of the Seeker obviously."

"Correct."

"Okay, now one question," I raised my hand politely.

"Yes?"

"Who the fliff is on our team?" I snapped at him, looking around the empty field. "All of our people graduated last year, and no one's dared tried out for the team this year because we got_ destroyed_ by Gryffindor and Slytherin. Hell, Myers fractured his skull, and we're lucky that he even _survived_."

"That's," he hesitated before he raised his forefinger in the air, "where you're wrong."

I raised a brow at him, a frown forming on my lips as I watched him duck towards the male changing rooms before he returned with a flock of males behind him.

"_Oh, you've got to be __**kidding**__ me!_" I grumbled under my breath.

Aaren Buckley, a half-blood, was the first out of the batch that I recognized. I usually caught him sneaking around the library in the restricted section until one of the books yelled at him. He was a well-built fourth-year with a pair of muscled arms and a mop of sandy hair that fell just over his eyes.

Next to him was his close friend, Bryce Fairburn, another half-blood, who usually got into trouble with him. Bryce had a long hair, which was usually tied back into a ponytail, that was a few shades lighter than my own dark brown strands. He had a pair of onyx orbs for eyes that made you feel as if you were almost being sucked into a black hole.

Eden Gardener was the typical blond-hair, blue-eyed, pure-blooded pretty boy that nearly made me gag at the sight of him. He wore a pair of thick, black-framed glasses, and he always had a flirtatious smile hooked on his lips. He always went for the Slytherin girls or teased the poor Hufflepuff girls. Even now, as his eyes glided over my uniform, he paused at my narrowed eyes and sent a wink my way, which irritated me even more.

Gordon Hayes was more of a scrawny pure-blood that didn't want anything to do with sports and usually kept to himself, which made me wonder why he was even here in the first place unless Hilliard dragged him out here unwillingly. He was the dark-haired, droopy-eyed quiet boy of the lot, and he stayed along the side of the group, seeming willing to take any chance to run away.

Kelvin Payne was more of a blond hyperactive, green-eyed muggleborn that was fist-pumping the air then high-fiving Aaren and Bryce. He was more of a party boy, but he _did _get high scores when it came to his tests and quizzes. It was quite a mystery since no one ever saw him study.

Lastly, there was Kenneth Hope. He was also more of a loner, but he was more of the bad boy than Gordon the emo boy. No one knew what he was because no one bothered to ask him. He had a piercing storm cloud gaze that warned everyone to back off and leave him alone, and the long scar from his right eyebrow to his jaw didn't help either, or the face that he rarely showed up to classes.

I sighed, running a hand through my hair.

"Oh, c'mon, Felicity," Robert grinned. "Give them a chance."

"I'm watching you, Hilliard," I shot a look towards the prefect, who held his hands up in defense, nodding nervously.

"Ooo... _fiesty!_" Eden smirked towards me, which earned him a cold glare from me. His lips only spread wider, "Has anyone ever told you how _amazing_ you look when you're getting mad?"

"Get him away from me before I beat his face into the ground," I growled.

Kelvin and Bryce immediately stepped between the two of us, blocking my view of the irritable pervert while the rest, except Aaren, slowly started to slink away.

"_Halt!_" I snapped, causing them all to flinch, except Kenneth, and turn around to face me once more. "What are your positions?"

"I use to be really good at baseball," Aaren offered, "so I guess I could try being a Beater."

"Me, too," Bryce piped up.

"Hilliard," I barked at the prefect, "go get the bats."

"Aye, aye, Captain," he saluted playfully, earning an eye roll from me, before returning back to the changing rooms.

"Captain?" Kelvin asked, furrowing his brows in slight confusion.

"No one's claimed it yet," I corrected. "He's just trying to tease me."

"Really?" Bryce raised a brow at me. "I thought you were the Captain already."

"Nope," I shrugged. "I figured that we could make the decision by taking a vote after our first game together. We can do it as a team."

At that moment, Robert came running back towards us with two bats in his arms and his cape flying back behind him in the wind, "Here you are, milady."

I tossed a bat to Aaren, then I looked around the crowd, "Anyone else?"

"I can play as a Chaser if no one else is willing to stand up to the plate," Eden said, taking a step forward and waggling his brows at me.

I had half the mind to swing the bat at his head in that very moment, but Robert took the bat from my hand and gave it to Bryce instead.

"Guess that means the rest of us are Chasers, huh?" Kelvin asked.

"Kelvin Payne and Gordon—"

"It's Gor_don,_" he corrected, lifting his forefinger to point at the sky.

"Gor_don_ Hayes," I rolled my eyes then shuddered at the next name I had to call, "Eden Gardener, you three are the Chasers while Aaren Buckley and Bryce Fairburn are the Beaters."

"I like it when you say my name," Eden teased, earning another glare from me.

"I like it when you shut your mouth," I retorted instantly. I turned to Kenneth, "You'll be the Keeper, okay?"

He merely narrowed his eyes at me, as if he were trying to burn holes into my head.

"Nice try, pretty boy," I raised an amused brow at him. I turned to the rest of the bunch, "Alright, does everyone know how to play, or do I have to explain a few things?"

Gordon shyly raised his hand, "Erm... the Quaffles go into those rings, right?"

"And the Beaters have to hit the Buldgers with those bats, right?" Eden grinned dreamily in my direction.

I shot a dagger-full glare towards Robert, but he merely raised his hands in defense again and slowly backed away from me. I watched, scowling, as he scurried away to the stands.

"Alright, let me explain," I took a deep breath, closing my eyes then opening them again. "The Keeper, which is Hope, guards the goalposts, while the three Chasers—Payne, Hayes, and Gardener—score goals with the Quaffle by tossing it into one of the opposing team's three goalposts. The two Beaters, Buckley and Fairburn, keep the Bludgers away from our team and hit the Bludgers towards the opposing team, and the Seeker, me, catches the Snitch to end the game. The thing is, though, the team whose Seeker catches the Snitch is awarded 150 points, but that doesn't necessarily mean they will win if the other team still has more points after the Snitch is caught. Understand?"

"Yes, ma'am," chorused Aaren, Bryce, and Kelvin as they stood at attention, backs straighter than an arrow and saluting.

Eden was still making googly-eyes at me, Gordon looked like he was going to explode with whatever fearsome thoughts were going through his mind, and Kenneth...

Well, he pretty much continued to glare at me.

_What a __**wonderful**__ team you've picked out for me, Hilliard,_ I looked towards the stands, narrowing my eyes at the prefect again, who was now ducking behind Mason's back in an attempt to hide.

Mason, on the other hand, sent me a thumbs-up sign for encouragement.

I waved out to him.

"Alright, let's start practice," I clapped my hands to gather the attention of the muttering group. "Everyone, mount your brooms."

* * *

><p>Considering the rocky beginning, everything turned out well after I went through a quick explanation about the rules and fouls. Madam Hooch would be proud of the Quidditch knowledge I had hidden in the back of my mind.<p>

Kenneth turned out to be a wonderful Keeper, blocking every single shot that was thrown at him whether it be a Quaffle or a Buldger at full blast. It was amazing, and I couldn't help my grin of delight at the pure concentration on his face when he was playing.

He was taking out whatever aggression within him out on the balls, which I was thankful for, instead shooting glares towards his own team, especially me. I couldn't wait to see him go up against the Slytherins.

Aaren and Bryce were perfect for the position of Beaters. They hadn't been kidding when they said they had played baseball when they were young; if I had blinked, I might have missed a few of the hits they sent flying towards Kenneth.

Kelvin was a great Chaser with an even better arm, and I figured that he could've played as either Beater or Chaser next year if he wanted. He was bound-determined to get a Quaffle passed Kenneth, but it failed each time, getting a smirk out of the loner boy. Kelvin roared out his frustration at each failure.

Gordon surely surprised me with how much braver he became once he got into the game, and it was even more shocking to find out what a good arm he had. He was also playing the game entirely left-handed.

Eden seemed to have been getting a kick out of trying to show off to me, but Kenneth and Kelvin made a fool out of him every time when Hope would block the ball or Kelvin would snatch it from his hands when he was trying to catch my attention, which also failed.

All in all, practice turned out better than I had expected.

"Hey, Lumen," Kelvin came jogging up to me, panting and out of breath, "why don't you... show us what _you've_ got?"

"What?" I furrowed my brows at him.

"Yeah," Aaren nodded to me. "Hilliard had been telling us all about what a great Seeker you'll be for the team, but you haven't really done anything 'cept make sure we're doing the right things."

"Personally, I'd _love _to see you chase after a Snitch," Eden winked flirtatiously.

"Then I'm _definitely_ not going to," I replied flatly, crossing my arms in front of me.

"Oh, _c'mon!_" Bryce whined.

"It'll be a great learning experience as to what you can do," Gordon added. "We'll be more willing to rely on you if we know your power."

"Alright! _Alright!_" I shouted, backing away from all of them. "Just stop crowding me, jeez!"

"_Yes!_" Aaren, Bryce, and Kelvin cheered as they high-fived each other.

"Quick! Someone, go get the Snitch before she changes her mind!" Eden cried out.

"What's going on?"

Hayden's voice behind me caused me to flinch.

"Sweet _Merlin_, Hayden, don't do that to me!" I shouted, whirling around to find the rest of them behind him with the exception of Hagrid, Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Percy. My hand flew to my chest to prevent my heart from jumping out of my chest. "What're all of you doing down here?"

"Sorry," he rubbed the back of the head before his gaze met my own. "We just wanted to know what was all going on. Is practice over?"

"She's going to catch the Snitch!" Gordon grinned cheerfully.

"Really?" Mason tilted his head. "I didn't think that you'd actually agree to such a thing."

"I mean," Fred spoke up from behind him, "we heard about you trying out..."

"But we never thought you'd actually do it," George finished for his twin, looking at me with a rather impressed expression. "Let alone be the Seeker."

I growled, gritting my teeth, at them, "You two shouldn't even _be_ here."

"Oh, I'm sure she'll be fine," Sapphira reassured, patting my back lightly.

"Well,_ hello,_" Eden walked right up to Sapphira, taking her hand in his and inching closer to her face, "why haven't I seen you around before? What's your name?"

"Back off," I growled at him, slapping his hand away from her. "She's off-limits to the likes of you."

"Jealous, are we?" he raised an amused brow at my reaction. "I'm willing to share, you know... Unless there's something going on between_ you two_. That would be understandable as to why I've never seen you with a boy before, Lumen."

I crossed my arms, leaning back some, "Isn't it possible that I just value my education more?"

"Nope," he grinned.

"Whatever," I rolled my eyes at him.

"I got the Snitch!" Aaren came running towards us all with his fist in the air. "I'm coming!"

"Oh, goody," I sighed.

"You sound _so _enthusiastic," Robert chuckled.

"I'll be more enthusiastic when I shove a broomstick right up your—"

"_Al__right_ _then!_" Sapphira stepped in, taking the Snitch from Aaren's slightly beefy hands. "Felicity, if you will, mount your broom."

With another sigh, I mounted my broom and lightly levitated above the ground. I felt myself grow a bit nervous knowing that they were all watching me.

"Ready?" Sapphira looked at me with a glint of mischievousness in her bright green eyes.

I nodded.

_Please don't let me make a fool of myself,_ I prayed.

She released the Snitch.

"_Go!_"

The tiny ball bolted from her cupped palms into the sky, doing wild zigzags as it went higher and higher with each passing second.

I steered my broom towards it and zoomed after it.

It let me get within a finger-span away before making an abrupt left, to which I forced my broom to loop around and fly towards it.

After a ten-minute chase, with each turn, I'd get a little bit closer until I was able to feel the wings beating against my fingertips, then it made a sharp right.

The stupid thing was toying with me.

"That's _it!_" I shouted, enraged at this point. "Just you _wait_ until I get a hold of you, you overgrown _peanut!_"

I pulled my broomstick to a halt in midair then stood up, knowing that I was a good forty feet above the air. I spread my feet about shoulder-length apart, using my weight to keep me balanced, and shut my eyes.

My pulse was racing already, but I counted the beats to it.

One... two... three...

Fifteen... Sixteen... Seventeen...

Twenty... Twenty-one... Twenty-two...

_Buzz_.

My eyes snapped open just in time to find the Snitch whizzing passed my nose.

I instantly gave chase, adjusting my weight on the broomstick to change course whenever it would tease me by letting me get closer, but I didn't reach out for it anymore. It continued zigzagging towards the goalpost before abruptly going downward.

I gripped the end of my broom up tightly as I lifted it, just barely grazing the post with the bristles, before doing another loop and making a corkscrew dive for the golden ball.

It zoomed away from me, but I forced a burst of speed from the broomstick as I stepped out towards the very end of the handle.

The fluttering wings brushed against my fingertips again.

"You... are... _mine!_"

I lunged for it, snatching the Snitch from the air as my broom fly away from underneath me. I fell towards the ground, which was luckily only a six-foot drop.

_Thump, thump, thump, thump_.

I tumbled along the ground, feeling multiple sharp rocks stab into my back as I continued rolling along. When I finally stopped, I was laying on my side, and my hair was covering my face like a blanket of brunette.

"_Felicity!_"

A chorus of voices shouted out my name followed by the thundering rumble that could've possibly been elephants running towards me.

When I looked up, I saw twelve different, blurred heads staring down at me. Despite the hair in my face, I was able to blink my vision clear enough to noticed that each one of their faces were etched with concern.

"Hey, Felicity, you okay?" George's nasal tone caught my ears. His hand pulled away the strands blocking my view. I could see the worry in his eyes clearly. "You took a pretty hard hit to the head."

I furrowed my brows at him, "I hit my head?"

I couldn't feel any pain growing along my skull.

"Yeah," Mason nodded, offering me his hand, "it was scary as hell."

I went to reach for his hand, but pain shot through my right shoulder when I tried, "_Gah!_"

"Looks like she might have dislocated it," Aaren said, his fingers probing the tender area. I winced each time before I finally slapped his hand away. "She's still in decent shape, though. Mentally, at least."

"It was still a great effort, Fliss," Hayden smiled softly at me despite the worry in his expression. "It'll be better luck next time."

"What do you mean '_better luck next time_'?!" Sapphira screeched in his ear, causing him to flinch and lean away from her. "There's no _way_ that—"

I cut her off.

"Yeah, Hayden, what do you mean?" I raised a brow at him, earning a few surprised looks. I quickly added with a smirk, "I've already got the Snitch."

Wide eyes surrounded me as I held the Snitch in the air with my left arm between my thumb and forefinger.

"I win," I grinned at them all as five more faces arrived, including a horrified-looking Hagrid. "Hi, guys. What's wrong? You're looking a little pale, Hagrid."

"What the blimey... What did ya' do ta' yerself, girl?!" he thundered.

I placed the Snitch in Hayden's hands before I waved Hagrid off, "Oh, I'm fine."

"Fine? _Fine?!_" His beetle-like eyes sparkled with the upbringing of tears, but his expression was bewildered. "Look at wha' 'appened ta' yer arm and yer sayin' yer _fine?!_"

"Yep," I nodded. "Pretty much."

"Felicity," Harry offered, "I think we should go see Madam Pomphrey."

"Why?" I furrowed my brows at him. "It's just a dislocated shoulder. It'll be an easy fix."

Mason sighed, "You would be the_ only_ girl in the world to act so casual about dislocating your shoulder..."

"I don't even think that_ Johnson _could take it so easily, eh, Georgie?" Fred nudged his twin, grinning.

"She'd probably start cursing or screaming at the very least," George chuckled.

The team burst into a fit of laughter.

"Laugh it up, you bunch of maggots!" I snapped. "I better not hear any of you babies crying on the field during an actual game."

"No, ma'am!" Aaren, Bryce, and Kelvin chorused.

"_Idiots,_" I rolled my eyes, muttering under my breath. I looked at the redhead that was standing directly in front of me and held out my left hand to him, "Fred, help me up, please."

"Oh, uh, sure," he seemed confused for a moment before he carefully pulled me to my feet.

"I'll be right back," I told them, walking towards the nearest tower to me, which happened to have been the Slytherin one. I grabbed hold of the firm wooden plank with my right hand and forced my shoulder to move forward, despite the pain blooming in process, until I heard a loud_ pop!_

I rolled my shoulder back, feeling an uncomfortable stiffness begin to grow where the pain was fading away.

I turned around to find none other than Fred standing there, jaw agape and eyes wide, staring at me as if I were a new creature that just fell from the sky.

"What?" I asked innocently.

"You just... popped it back in, like it was nothing," he said, dumbfounded.

"Yeah, and?" I raised a brow at his surprised state. "First time I've ever dislocated it, too. Is it suppose to be this stiff?"

"Um.. yeah. You'll feel it for about a week or so..." His brows furrowed. "Wait, so this is the first time you've dislocated it, and you just popped it back in?"

"Yeah, why?" I tilted my head at him, rolling my shoulder back to try loosening some of the stiffness. "I don't need Madam Pomphrey to fuss over me while she's running around taking care of other students. Plus, from what it looks like, it looks more painful when she does it." I grimaced at the thought.

"You just... I... I don't even..."

"Don't worry about it," I patted his shoulder before I walked passed him. "Let's hurry back towards the others before Sapphira accuses me of snogging."

"S-_Snogging?!_" he flustered instantly.

"Gross, right? I mean, I already had to kiss you once. Wasn't that enough?" I laughed. I broke into a jog, "Well, c'mon. The boys will want to know that I'm fine."

I only kicked into a sprint when I felt the thumps of his own footsteps behind me quicken.


	15. Chapter 14

As November's end brought on a welcoming chill for December throughout the castle, along with some snow here and there that would melt away the same day it arrived, a Quidditch match caused the stands to refill. The Weasley twins and Mason had convinced nearly the entire Gryffindor House to come watch, and, surprisingly, there were quite a bit of Slytherins as well; they usually stayed in there dungeons unless their green team was playing. The Hufflepuffs were roaring with cheers for their fellow badgers, while caws of excitement bellowed from the Ravenclaw stands.

Hufflepuff versus Ravenclaw.

Those were the two teams that were closing the November games before winter break sent everyone home. The games wouldn't start up again until February, so that meant we had to put on a good show for the crowd.

I sighed, releasing the curtain from my hand to let it fall back in place as I returned to the small area where my team sat. They were all clad in blue, bronze, and silver tones. I allowed my gaze to look over their body language about our first game of the season.

Aaren and Bryce were in good spirits, looking excited as they chattered away with Kelvin. The trio were bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, nearly vibrating as the murmur from the crowds leaked through the curtains.

Kenneth, as usual, had a deadpan expression as he leaned against one of the wooden poles that held the tent up. He was whittling away at a block of dark wood that was about eight inches big. Having possibly felt my eyes, he sent me a cold glance before returning to his project.

Eden was laying on his back on one of the benches, staring up at the ceiling of the tent. He was being surprisingly quiet despite all his chatter during practice about how many girls would be falling for him by the end of the game and constantly asking me if I would be jealous, to which I ignored him about. His expression gave away that he was in deep thought about something.

Gordon, the poor thing, looked the most frightened out of all of them. He was shaking, eyes wide, and his face was unusually paler than usual. He looked like he was just about to see his breakfast for a second time today.

I walked over to him, giving him a light pat on the shoulder, which caused the boy to flinch in surprise. When he looked owlishly up at me from his spot on the bench, I smiled at him, "You'll be fine."

"But what if I miss and we lose?" he questioned.

"Then we lose," I shrugged casually, earning a surprised look from everyone, except Kenneth. "What? It's just a game. I'd rather everyone enjoy themselves than break themselves over winning."

"But, Lumen," Aaren furrowed his brows at me, "what about all that talk during practice about how we better win or you'll skin us alive."

"That was just to make you guys want to practice with your best," I smirked, stepping onto the bench in front of me. My eyes grazed over each one of them, "Do I want us to win? Hell _yeah_, I do, but I'd rather us win with confidence."

"That was_ not_ the kind of pep talk I was expecting," Eden spoke up, raising a brow at me. "Actually, I hadn't expected a pep talk at all from you, Lumen. I was waiting for more commands."

"Well, you guys look like you need it," I told him. "Today's our first game, the one we've been training for. I know we're ready for it. We're representing the House flag of Ravenclaw. The Hufflepuffs out there—they've got nothing on us. We'll defeat them without even breaking a sweat. So, boys..." I felt a broad grin stretch along my lips, "who're we fighting for?!"

"_Ravenclaw!_" Aaren, Bryce, and Kelvin cheered, fist-pumping the air.

"And who're we flying for?" I asked, even louder than before.

"_Ravenclaw!_" Eden and Gordon, smiling, joined the trio this time.

"Who're we fighting for?" I repeated.

"_Ravenclaw!_"

"And who're we flying for?"

"_Ravenclaw!_"

"Awesome," I smiled to them. "Now, let's get out there and show those badgers that _we_ own the sky, that it's _our _rightful place. The sky is _our_ home, and _they're_ the invaders. Let's spread our wings and fly!"

"Let's _do_ this!" Bryce cried out, raising his broomstick in the air.

"_Yeah!_"

The other four followed in pursuit, mimicking his gesture, before they barreled out of the tent, sending the entrance flaps dancing in the wind.

"They're such a rowdy bunch sometimes," I sighed.

I flinched when a large hand fell on my shoulder, but I was even more surprised when I found that it was Kenneth, who was giving me a type of half-smile.

"Nice speech, Captain," he said, which had been the first words he ever spoke to me. "Good luck out there."

With that, he left me, stunned to my spot.

"C'mon, Lumen!" Kelvin called out to me after a long moment. "We're waitin' on you!"

I shook the shock away before snatching my broomstick that had been leaning against one of the benches. I hurried out of the tent, shouting back, "I'm coming!"

* * *

><p>"I want a nice, clean game, understand?" Madam Hooch asked, her yellow eyes flickering between me and the Hufflepuff Captain. I didn't recognize him, but he looked to be a forth-year, like Oliver Wood.<p>

Then again, not many people paid attention to the Hufflepuff team.

We each nodded to the flying instructor.

"Good," she said, her lips tilted up in a bit of a smirk. She then took a step back and ordered, "Mount your brooms!"

As I swung a leg over my broomstick, I felt my pulse start to race and the adrenaline begin to pump through my veins as the actuality of the match finally set it. It was going to be completely different from merely sitting in the stands and cheering.

My eyes flitted over to the Ravenclaw stand, hurriedly searching for a familiar blond, when something fluttering in the air caught my eye. It was a banner, much like the one that Harry had during his first match, but this one was like a bridge between the Ravenclaw and Gryffindor stands.

_Good Luck, Captain Lumen!_

It was in Sapphira's handwriting, flashing in nearly every color of the rainbow with the perfect picture of a snow leopard's head baring its teeth in a snarl in front of the wording and six black ravens fluttering at the ends.

Underneath it, Sapphira was flailing her hands in the air while Hayden and Mason held the banner up from their respective sides. I saw Hagrid, Harry, Hermione, and the Weasleys sitting next to them.

The twins were bouncing about with a banner of their own, which earned a chuckle from me: _Catch the Snitch, You Catty Witch! _written in gold on the scarlet paper.

Even Penelope Clearwater was grinning down at me.

_So,_ I thought to myself, feeling a smile stretch along my lips at the sight of them all,_ this is what it must be like when Mason sees us all out on the stands_.

The shrill cry of Madam Hooch's whistle snapped my attention back to the match, and I soared high into the air.

From the sky, I watched my team buzz about with the Hufflepuffs, and I stayed high enough to be out of their way but low enough to hear Jordan's commentary. My breath came out in white puffs of heat against the cold air.

"_Both Seekers go straight into the air, high above the match—the Quaffle is taken by Chaser Allaway from Hufflepuff, but it's quickly snagged by Kelvin Payne from Ravenclaw!_" he carried on quickly. "_Payne passes to Gardener—passes to Hayes—passes back to Payne, who's dodging multiple Buldgers that were batted near him—and the Ravenclaws might just be getting the first—Keeper Quigley blocks the Quaffle from getting in!_"

I clung to my broom, watching as tension was building up in my shoulders. My team was zigzagging all over the field.

Then a speck in the corner of my eye catches my eyes.

"What in the world...?" I asked myself, turning my head to find a Bludger flying right at me at a scary-fast pace.

I quickly force my broom to roll away from it, just missing it as the darned thing soared passed me.

"Sorry, Lumen!" Bryce cried out to me as he zoomed passed seconds later with the black bat in his hand. On his return towards the field, he called out, "Keep an eye out for the Snitch! I'll do a better guard for you next time!"

"You better!" I roared. "Eden will kick your arse if you bust up my pretty face!"

I got a laugh from that. He probably imagined the skinny Chaser running full-speed with a fist raised in the air towards the muscled Beater, and Bryce holding him back by only a single hand.

"._..Hope blocks Chaser Henderson's attempts of scoring—sends the Quaffle to Payne—then to Gardener—then to Hayes—back to Payne—dodges a speeding Bludger, then passes it to Hayes again—__**Score! **__Ten points to the Ravenclaws!_"

"_Yes!_" I howled into the air, pumping my fist. "Awesome job, Ravenclaws!"

"Don't get too cocky up there, Lumen!" Kelvin called out to me with a broad smile. "You might lose concentration."

"Just keep shootin' those hoops, Payne!" I shouted back at him.

He sent me a thumbs-up before zooming back into the game, chasing after a Hufflepuff with the Quaffle that was heading towards Kenneth.

A Bludger was speeding straight for Kelvin, and I saw Aaren making his way to bat it away when something strange happened.

Just after his bat sent the Bludger towards another Hufflepuff Chaser, Aaren suddenly lurched backwards, nearly falling off his broomstick. I saw the tiniest of specks fly towards Kenneth as Kelvin sent the Quaffle over to Eden.

Aaren's head jerked towards me, but I was already bolting down towards our Keeper, who made the funniest expression when the Snitch fluttered in front of his face that I almost lost my concentration.

"Lumen, right!" Kenneth shouted, looking up at me.

Instead, I made a sharp left.

"_Lumen!_" Kenneth yelled, but I continued to ignore him.

"_Ten points for Ravenclaw!_" Jordan's voice boomed out excitedly. "_The Seekers are now on the field!_"

A flash of yellow dashed in front of me, which I smirked at before forcing my broomstick to go straight into the air again. I stood on my broom, just as I did at practice and shut my eyes.

"_What in Merlin's name is Lumen doing up there?!_" Jordan cried out. "_She's gone mental! She's suicidal! She's—_"

"_**Jordan!**_" McGonagall snapped, but the concern in her tone was still her through the microphone.

"This isn't practice, Lumen!" I heard barely Gordon's frightened voice. "It's too dangerous to do that during a game!"

"She's going to kill herself!" Bryce screeched.

"She knows what she's doing!" Kenneth barked at them all. "Chasers, focus on the Quaffle. Buckley, guard Lumen! Fairburn, you keep the Bludgers away from the others!"

_At least __**someone**__ has a little faith in me,_ I thought. _It's still surprising that it's Kenneth of all people, though_.

I pushed all of their voices away, focusing on the confused roar of the crowd and the sounds of the balls slicing through the air. I heard Aaren's bat make contact with multiple Bludgers, and I heard the _foosh _of broomstick soaring through the sky. My hair whipped wildly around my head, scratching at my face.

I counted my breaths, feeling the sound grow duller with each moment.

One... two... three...

Twenty-two... twenty-three... twenty-four...

Thirty.

I snapped my eyes open, finding that my vision was slightly sharper than usual. I quickly scanned the field before the vision enhancement faded away.

Something moved near the Hufflepuff Keeper.

Something extremely tiny.

Something with a gold glint in the small amount of sunlight.

The Snitch.

I surfed my broomstick towards him, hearing the thunderous pounding of the blood against my eardrums as I forced myself to move faster.

I could hear the sound of the rest of the players moving around me, but Aaren stayed near my flank as I moved through the air like a surfer does on the water's surface. It was scarier in the air, though. There wasn't any water beneath me to catch my fall.

At the rate I was going, if I made one wrong move, I could literally _kill _myself.

_Smack!_

Aaren's bat hit a Bludger away from my right.

I glanced to find him smirking at me.

"You're one crazy witch, you know that?" he shouted over the roar of the crowds.

"Yeah, but you guys wouldn't want me any other way!" I yelled back at him. "Buckley, once I pass you, make a sharp right and head towards Gardener."

"That'll leave you way in the open!" His eyes grew large and round. "I'm not leaving you like that!"

"Trust me!" I snapped, shooting him a look. "I know what I'm doing."

When his gaze met mine, he flinched, as if frightened, but he nodded.

With that, I pushed my broomstick to go even further, getting a burst of speed. I didn't bother looking back to see if he followed my orders. My mind to focused on hunting down the Snitch while dodging the consistency of Bludgers being sent my way.

I was able to dodger them all, but just barely. The more that were batted towards me, the more my chance of getting hit grew.

_Buzz_.

My attention snapped in the direction of the noise to find a golden flutter heading towards Kenneth.

I steered my broomstick towards it and bolted after the tiny thing.

It zoomed right passed his face again, causing the Ravenclaw Keeper to stumble on his broom and fall to the side. Luckily, he caught himself, dangling off the handle by his hand.

"_Hope!_" I screeched, forcing my broom to go even faster.

"Catch the bloody Snitch already, Lumen!" he snapped as a Hufflepuff Chaser scored through the goal. "_Dammit!_"

I nodded to him, crouching and grabbing hold of the end of my broomstick handle. I steered it upwards, where the Snitch was zigzagging all over the place with the Hufflepuff Seeker desperately trying to grab hold of it. I instantly darted towards him.

"T_en points to Hufflepuff!_" Jordan cried out, nearly jumping up and down at the sight of the game. "_The Ravenclaw Seeker, Felicity Lumen, goes straight for Seeker Sangster, who's trying his best to catch the Snitch—Gardener's got the Quaffle again—Buckley bats away the Buldger heading towards him from the flank—Gardener passes to Hayes—Hayes makes the shot—Ten points to Ravenclaw!_"

"_Sangster!_" I shouted, causing the Hufflepuff Seeker to look at me for a second, which was his biggest mistake.

I sped passed him, stretching my arm out for the Snitch. Its wings barely brushed against my fingertips, teasing me with the thought of possibly catching it.

It jerked left suddenly.

I made a sharp turn after it, and I could hear the other Seeker growing closer behind me.

_I'm going to have to jump again,_ I told myself, gritting my teeth at the thought. I spared a glance down, noting how high we were above even the players, and my legs started to shake. _**No!**__ I have to keep control of myself!_

I side-stepped myself closer to the end of the broomstick.

"_Lumen's gone completely and utterly mental!_" Jordan's voice boomed through the microphone. "_It looks like she's going to__** jump**__ for it!_"

The Snitch dove down, and I held on as I forced my broom to follow after it.

As it darted from side to side, I noticed that we were growing increasingly closer towards the ground, and it made my heart speed up even more.

The Snitch made another left.

Almost a foot off the ground, I forced my broom to turn. I was close enough to touch the painted white line of the grass in my crouched form if I was willing to stretch my arm down, but I didn't dare.

I needed to stay focused on the tiny golden creature in front of me.

Our game of cat and mouse near the ground continued for awhile while the Quaffle was being tossed about high above us. I was growing more and more irritated with each time Lee Jordan called out the points.

I was following the Snitch straight towards the Ravenclaw goalpost when Jordan called out the next addition, "_Ten points to Hufflepuff!_"

That meant the score was in our favor still.

Ravenclaw: 60 points.

Hufflepuff: 50 points.

The Snitch bolted upwards, to which I forced my poor broom to jerk towards Kenneth. I was soaring just passed him when I felt the fluttering ball against my hand again.

Sangster was clinging to his broom beside me, shooting a couple of competitive glares my way, which I completely ignored.

"_Enough!_" I snapped, enraged now. I could almost feel a pair of ghost-like ears at the top of my head flattening as I bared my teeth at the golden ball. I put my dominant right foot on the tip of the handle and pushed the rest of my body up while pushing my broom down. I snatched the Snitch from the air, "_Yes!_"

Unfortunately, my broom shot passed me, which left me with nothing to grab hold up. I had to have been nearly fifty feet in the air by now, but then the distance between me and the ground started decreasing at a scary rate.

"_Lumen!_"

"_The Ravenclaw Seeker's broom got away from her, and she's falling at an increasing rate,_" Jordan yelled into the microphone. "_She might even get killed from that drop!_"

My team cried out my name as I fell.

Before I shut my eyes, I saw them all hurtling towards me on their broomsticks. I awaited the impact of my body hitting the ground.

…

But it never came.

Instead, someone grabbed hold of my wrist, barely holding me up.

I opened my eyes to find Kenneth smirking at me, "You really _are_ mental, Lumen."

"Hope," I grinned at him. "It's one of our greatest assets."

His eyes widened a little, but then he released my wrist with a laugh.

I thought he was going to kill me for a moment before I felt the ground beneath my feet a millisecond later. I must have only been a two feet off the ground when he caught me.

"_Felicity!_"

I turned my head to find the entire team hopping off their broomsticks and rushing towards me. They all had panic written on their faces, but it was instantly replaced with relief once they saw that I was just fine. I didn't even have a dislocated shoulder this time around.

"You're suicidal!" Aaren scolded.

Bryce joined him, "You could've_ killed_ yourself!"

"Oh, thank _Merlin_ that you're okay!" Gordon looked like he was about to burst into happy tears.

"You scared us to death!" Kelvin frowned deeply.

"I'm so glad that you're alive!" Eden whimpered, losing every aspect of the usual flirtatious male that he was on a daily basis.

"Hey, guys?" I waved for their attention, which they gave to me after a few moment of more scolding. I raised my hand in the air, yelling at the top of my lungs, "_I got the Snitch!_"

"_Felicity Lumen of Ravenclaw has captured the Snitch!_" Jordan screamed into the microphone, causing the Ravenclaw and Gryffindor stands to go wild with cheers. "_I repeat, the Snitch has been caught by the Ravenclaw Seeker! The match is over with __**two hundred and ten points**__ to __**Ravenclaw!**_"

* * *

><p>I laid, stretched out on the couch in my abandoned classroom, with my right arm over my eyes. I was exhausted from the thrill of the game, and the team thought it was best that I rested for a bit after another one of my near-death experiences.<p>

The buzz of my catching the Snitch mixed with Harry Potter's joining and winning the Quidditch match for the Gryffindors went through the halls just outside. I could easily hear my name and the scarred boy's name as they passed through.

Suddenly, the door to my room opened.

"Mason, Sapphira, or Hayden?" I said to the intruder.

"Pup," Hayden's voice replied as the door shut again.

As his footsteps grew closer, I removed my arm from over my eyes, sitting up enough to lean my back against the arm of the navy couch. I folded my legs like a pretzel, giving my fledgling enough room to sit beside me, which he did.

"You okay?" he asked, folding a leg under himself so he could turn to face me. I noticed that he had a sketchpad in his lap. "I mean, you've been getting pretty scary with Quidditch."

I shrugged, "The blasted thing was toying with me too much."

"You know..." he averted his gaze from me, and I assumed he was looking over at my Cleansweep leaning against the wall beneath the stone staircase to the old instructor office. I watched his feature twist from calm to puzzled, "I saw something right before you jumped."

"Saw something?" I tilted my head curiously at him, furrowing my brows. "Was it like a vision or something? You're not secretly a seer or anything and haven't told me, are you?"

He chuckled, waving his hand dismissively, "No, no, nothing like that. Actually, I saw something attached to _you_."

Now I was even more confused, "_Attached?_"

"I saw this big, bushy tail from just above your rump and a pair of round ears on the top of your head," he told me, turning his gaze back to me. He hesitated for a moment before he continued speaking, "It was transparent, or even _ghostly_, like you were part cat or something. I asked Sapphira and Mason, but they gave me a weird look and said there was nothing attached to you. They probably think I'm as mental as you were."

"A ghost tail and ears?"

"I knew I shouldn't have said anything," he shook his head, starting to get up. "I'm sorry for bothering you, Fliss. You probably think I've gone mad, too—"

"Now, hold on just one minute, mister," I grabbed hold of his wrist and forced him to sit back down on the couch. He fell back with an audible _oof!_ then stared at me with wide eyes. "I didn't say that I thought you had gone mad, did I?"

"I was saving you the trouble of saying it," he sighed, looking away again. I slapped his knee, which jerked his attention back to me, before he asked, frustrated now, "_What?_"

"Did you draw it?" I nodded to the sketchpad in his hand. "If so, I'd like to see."

He stared at me for a long moment, hesitating again, before he silently held the sketchbook out to me. I took it from his hands and flipped through it to the last drawn page, not bothering to nose around his other drawings just yet.

On the page, drawn in pencil, was a cartoon-form of myself in my Quidditch uniform with small badge with a '_C_' on it on the left breast and a broomstick in hand that had _Lumen_ written on the handle. On the girl's head were a a pair of ears and poking out from behind her was a tail that looked similar to that of a snow leopard. A Snitch was drawn on the right side with a large '_R'_ underneath it and '_avenclaw_' written right under that in capital letters.

"Why do I have a Captain's badge on this?" I raised a brow at him.

He flustered, "N-No reason! I was just practicing my sketching, and I guess I just really got into some of the details."

"This is what you saw, though?" I asked him, glancing at the fledgling from the corner of my eye. "Are you sure?"

"I'm positive," he nodded to me. "I know what I saw, and that's what it was. The tail was bristled and swishing around like an angry cat's, and the ears were flattened."

"Flattened?" I thought back during the match. "Actually, I noticed that I practically felt like I was a cat going after the Snitch, ears flattening and all."

"Really?" his silver eyes widened.

"Mhm," I hummed to him, nodding. "It was the strangest thing, but I figured it wasn't a big deal. I thought I was just going crazy from that infuriating Snitch."

"Strange..." His expression turned thoughtful for a few moment before he chuckled to himself.

"What is it?" I raised a brow at him.

"Oh, nothing," he grinned. "Don't worry about it."

"No, tell me," I pressed.

"Well..." he chuckled again, "I just thought that maybe you were a cat in your past life, so your ears and tail are coming back to haunt you. I've noticed that some of your instincts are a lot like Nix's."

I laughed, pointing at the tail, "Yeah, like I'd be anywhere near a _snow leopard_. I'm surprised, though, since it's my favorite animal in the muggle world."

"You never know," he shrugged, still grinning. "Hey, I could still be that great wolf I was talking about."

"Maybe, pup," I smirked, ruffling his hair.

"_Hey!_" he puffed his cheeks out, crossing his arms, in a pout.

"You're so cute, Hayden," I laughed, ruffling his curls fondly.

He grumbled something irritably, but his cheeks burned bright like a cherry.


	16. Chapter 15

Winter break rolled around, bringing along the world's largest white blanket of snow as it shielded the warm earth from the harsh chill of the air. Quidditch came to a pause until February when all the warm leaves of autumn buried under the white beauty as it decomposed back into the earth's stock of nutrients, awaiting to be reborn again in the spring. The Black Lake's surface thickened just enough to show a thin layer of ice that dared anyone stupid enough to step onto it and sink into its dark depths.

There were only a few handfuls of students lingering in the Great Hall while most of the school had disappeared to their homes to reunite with their families again.

Sapphira retreated home alone, seeming depressed that she had to break the news to her mother that I wasn't going to be joining them this Christmas. She only cracked a smile when I promised her to send their gifts the day before so they would arrive on time.

Mason had to go home and help his older brother with taking care of his father, though he was upset that he wouldn't be seeing me either for the winter holiday. He promised to write everyday with updates on his father's conditions before he left, but it wasn't without placing a peck on my cheek.

Some of the team even stopped by to say their farewells before going home to see their families again. Eden attempted to hug me, but Bryce and Aaren dragged him away before he had the chance. Gordon had scampered away right after them, sending me a wave before they merged in with the crowd.

As expected, though, I didn't see Kenneth lurking around. I figured that he probably already left the castle.

Luckily enough, though, Percy was staying due to his parents leaving for Romania to go visit his second eldest brother, who was studying dragons, but that meant, sadly, that the twins were staying with him. So, it wasn't too much of a surprise this morning when I found Ron playing a game of Wizard's chess with Harry just two tables away from me, at the Gryffindor table while I sat at the Ravenclaw one.

I sighed at the lack of events going on.

_I suppose that I can spend most of the time in my new hideaway since everyone's gone, _I shrugged to myself. _I can clean it up some and make it into a type of hang out for our houses to mix. This way, it won't cause trouble for Ravenclaws going to Gryffindor or vice versa_.

I had been so caught up in my thoughts that I hadn't realized someone had walked right up behind me, and I almost jumped out of my skin when they put their hand on my shoulder. I whirled around to find the last member of my little pack to be standing there.

"Sorry," Hayden smiled sheepishly at me as he ran a hand through his dark curls. "I didn't mean to frighten you."

"I was just thinking about things is all," I grinned, which shortly faded into a confused frown when I noticed his lack of luggage. "Aren't you leaving?"

"Nah, I wouldn't be able to take the guilt if I did," he told me, taking a seat on the bench right beside me. "My parents will understand."

"Aren't they muggles, though?" I asked curiously, to which he nodded. "I figured that you'd be going home to tell them all about your adventures with us."

"Like I said, they'll understand," he said again, shrugging casually. He smiled at me, "I wouldn't want my adoptive sister to be sitting here all on her own during the entire winter break."

"You're so cute," I felt a smile stretch along my own lips at his words. "You really should go visit your parents, though."

"I've already made up my mind," he declared, crossing his arms and sticking his nose in the air. "If there's one thing that I've learned this year, it's that I have to be stubborn beyond belief when it comes to you."

I blew a raspberry at him. "You know that you love me either way."

"Yeah, I do," he grinned, which quickly took on a teasing sense. "Not as much as Mason does, but I do love you."

My cheeks burned with embarrassment as I slapped him upside the head, "_Idiot!_"

He laughed at me, rubbing the new sore spot on the back of his head.

Despite everything, I was a little happy that he had decided to stay back with me instead of heading home. This meant that I wasn't going to spend Christmas all by myself after all.

I mean, sure, I wasn't going to be completely alone due to the fact of faculty and the few other students, but it was a holiday to spend with loved ones overall.

"Wow, someone seems happy now," Hayden raised an amused eyebrow, and that was when I realized that I had been grinning to myself. "I better be getting a great present for this, I swear."

"Shush," I shot him a look. I stood from my seat, "Anyway, I've got to go finish wrapping left over presents. I suggest you figure out what your giving that Granger girl." I winked at him.

He blushed like mad, face growing red as a Weasley's hair, before he shouted at me, "I do _not_ like her!"

Due to the quietness of the room, his voice echoed off the walls and caused everyone to look at him, including a certain frizzy-haired girl. She had looked up from her friends' game of Wizard's chess, and she turned almost as red as my fledgling.

I couldn't help but laugh as I ran out of the Great Hall when Hayden came after me, shaking his fist like an elderly man that was yelling at children to get off his lawn.

He had chased after me all the way back to the Ravenclaw tower, earning us a few scoldings from the staff that had caught sight of our running, and he only stopped when I darted through the doorway leading in the girls' side of the dormitories. It was like a shield of invisibility had stopped him just before the threshold.

He had howled in frustration, but he didn't dare try to enter.

_Smart boy, _I grinned, waving my fingers at him before shutting the door and heading to my room.

Once I entered, I was greeted by a grumpy murr, which meant I had awoken Nix from her sleeping. I smiled softly towards the white cat curled up on my pillows, but a pang of loneliness spread through me as I noticed how all of my roommates, not just Sapphira, had left for home.

"_They'll come back,_" a purr erupted through the stiff silence. "_It's only a week._"

"I know," I sighed, walking over and plopping my rump down on the bedding. The mattress sank under me as Nix made her way over, seating herself beside me. I scratched at her ears, "It's just weird, you know? I mean, I'm use to not seeing my mother, but it's weird not seeing my friends." I felt my lips twitch with a short laugh, "I actually really miss Gram's peanut butter cookies, the ones she only made for holidays?"

"_Why does it not surprise me in the least that all you can think about is eating sugar when you're here for detention?_" she looked at me, seeming to have raised the nearly invisible white whiskers sticking out of where an eyebrow would have been right about her eyes. She shook her head, her chest rising then falling heavily in a sigh. "_So, who else do you have to finish wrapping for?_"

"Let's see..." I looked over at the presents I had set out on Sapphira's neatly made bed, "Sapphira, Mason, Jackson, Mrs. Crane, Percy, Hayden, Penelope, and Dumbledo—"

"_Wait, __**Penelope?**_" Nix seemed surprised. "_You're actually giving that girl a present after how long rude she's been to you?_"

I nodded, "We've put the past behind us at Mason's party, remember? So, I figured that it'd be nice to give her a little present." I shrugged casually, figuring it really wasn't a big deal.

"_You know that she probably didn't get you anything, right?_"

"Well, _duh,_" I rolled my eyes. "She probably didn't even figure that I was getting her something. That's not the point, though. Christmas is about giving, not receiving. Don't you remember all those Christmas shows we watched with Gram and Pepa?"

"_I suppose..._" she stretched her arms out in front of her, rising her rump in the air, as she yawn. After that, she shifted the weight on her forepaws; it was pretty much the feline way to shrugging. "_I just want you to be happy._"

"And I am," I smiled at her, rubbing her head. "Oh, wait!"

"_What is it?_" she purred the question to me.

"I forgot to wrap Potter's gift!"

"_Potter?_" she cocked her head to the side. "_You mean, that Harry Potter boy? The one on the Gryffindor Quidditch team?_"

"Of course I mean_ him_, you goose!" I laughed at her. "Hayden had come to be friends with that group, and he's told me about how Harry never really got presents in his childhood. I just figured that I'd get him a little something..."

"_And what exactly __**did **__you get him...?_" she seemed partially frightened.

I grew a wicked smile on my lips, "You'll see."

That seemed to have worried her even more as I went to work wrapping the last gift I had.

Once it was finished, I turned to my feline and asked, "Do you think that I should have gotten something for Ron?"

She just looked at me curiously for a long moment then adjusted front paws again.

"You're no help to me," I rolled my eyes. "Anyway, I have to go assist Dumbledore with his errands as punishment then I'm going to go clean up my own hidden room, so I best be going. I'll see you soon, so guard the presents while I'm gone."

"_Good luck!_" she meowed at me.

I waved to her before leaving.


	17. Chapter 16

"_Felicity! __**Felicity!**_"

Groaning irritably, I stirred from my disturbed sleep at the sound of someone calling out my name. As consciousness awoke my body, I started to feel the chill of winter that seeped through the stone walls of the castle, causing myself to bury further under the covers. My eyes fluttered open just enough to see white flakes glittering in the grey sky as they fell towards the ground, thickening the blanket below.

"_Felicity Lumen!_" the muffled voice called out again, seeming more frustrated than before. "_I swear if you don't get down here, then I'm going to __**drag **__you out of your bed __**myself!**_"

Sighing, I sat up and swung my legs over the edge of the bed. I shivered when my feet barely grazed against the cold, stone floor then again once more when I planted them firmly on the ground. I heaved myself off the bed, walking out of the dorm in the deep navy pajama pants that I had continuously forgotten to return to Mason and a white camisole.

As I made my way down the dimly-lit staircase, I rubbed my arms to retain heat in the airy tower, "Why did Ravenclaw have to be related to the air elemental? Why couldn't it be something warmer?" I sighed heavily, feeling miserable already.

I was just about to open the wooden door when it flew open to reveal a flash of light, which I squealed in surprised at. My hands went to my sensitive eyes, shielding them from the sudden attack.

"_Felici—_"

I opened my eyes again to find Hayden standing there in his own pajama black pajama pants and a grey tee. His jaw was agape, and his face were blooming multiple shades of red until it finally hit a deep crimson.

I raised a brow at him, offering a playful smile as I pinched his cheek as I purred, "Why so blushie, my pet?"

"Stop teasing me!" he fumed, stamping his foot down on the ground and flailing his arms a bit. It was very comical, enough to make me laugh.

"Alright, alright," I giggled, leaning my shoulder against the door frame and crossing my arms under my chest. "So, what's going on? Why'd you wake me up so early?"

"You didn't know?" his eyes nearly bulged at the thought.

I tilted my head curiously.

"It's Christmas morning,_ duh!_"

It was my turn to have my eyes widen, "Oh, man, I _completely_ forgot!"

"C'mon, c'mon!" he grabbed hold of my wrist and pulled me all the way down the stairway to the evergreen tree sitting in the middle of the common area. It was just in front of the couch and between the two arm chairs, looking festively Ravenclaw-style with the blue, silver, and bronze ornaments hanging for dear life on random branches. At the very top was an angel that looked similar to Rowena Ravenclaw herself.

Underneath it was a massive mound of presents wrapped with shiny wrapping papers of silver and blues along with many other colors as well.

"Since all the other Ravenclaws went home," he grinned widely, looking just like how he was: an excited kid on Christmas morning, "that means that all these presents are for us!"

"How about you start separating them, and I'll go get us some hot chocolate from the kitchens?" I asked, noting the sparkle in his silver eyes at my offer.

He nodded vigorously as I walked away.

_Knock, knock_.

"Hn?" I tilted my head questionably at the door, pausing my hand just a finger-span away from the knob.

"Who do you think that could be?" Hayden asked from behind me, shuffling over to the tree and already making noise with the gifts.

"Only one way to find out," I told him, not bothering to glance back at him from over my shoulder as I pulled the door open.

My eyes widened at the sight before me.

"Um... Hi."

Just outside the threshold of the Ravenclaw tower stood a familiar curly redheaded prefect with two steaming mugs of, the scent of it hit me in an instant, hot chocolate with whipped cream on top, which was dusted with a light chocolate powder. His cheeks were stained with a rosy color as he stared at me, noticing my camisole.

"Percy?" I cocked my head to the side. "Well, good morning! How are you? Merry Christmas!"

"M-Merry Christmas, Felicity. I-I-I'm doing well, and yourself?" he stammered.

"I'm doing wonderfully," I smiled sweetly to the older boy. "I don't mean to sound like I'm being rude, but why are you at the Ravenclaw tower? Penelope went home for break, remember?"

"No, no, no," he shook his head, holding out the two mugs to me. "Actually, I came by to drop these two off for you and Hayden."

My smile grew a little wider at his gesture, "How sweet. Thank you very much."

"Yeah, thanks a lot, mate!" the said fledgling popped up behind me, startling me slightly, and snatched one of the mugs from my hand.

"_Hayden!_" I scolded, shooting him a glare, but he merely smiled childishly at me.

"You're plenty welcome," Percy nodded tightly, allowing his gaze to drop to his shoes. "Well, I best be going now. Harry and my brothers are probably killing each other from boredom since I instructed them not to open any gifts until I returned."

As the prefect started to walk away, I quickly grabbed hold of the back of his robe, "Hey, _wait!"_

He turned slightly, looking back at me with a questioning gaze flickering in his blue eyes.

"I... Um... Well..." I took a breath then looked up at him with a gentle smile, "Why don't we all spend Christmas together?"

"Together?" his brows furrowed with confusion. "We're not permitted in Houses other than our own, Felicity. You know that."

I shook my head at his accusation as I released the worn fabric in my hand, "Not here, and not in the Gryffindor tower either, you goose. I meant in my personal common area. You know, that old classroom from Mace's birthday party? I figured that it would make a nice hangout for when we all wanted to get together without getting in trouble."

He seemed to ponder the idea for a few long moments, tilting his head from side to side in thoughtfulness, before he finally nodded, "Alright. I'll bring the boys over there."

"Wonderful," I grinned, waving him off as he walked briskly down the staircase that led back towards the hallways of the school.

I turned around, shutting the door behind me, to find Hayden with his arms cross, a pouty look on his face, and a raised brow, "You mean that we have to lug _all _these presents to that little secret room of yours?"

"If you don't do it," I paused to lift a small portion of whipped cream from the mug with my finger and popped it in my mouth, "then I'll make you clean the room again. All by yourself."

His face grew pale before he scrambled to grab an abundant amount of wrapped gifts in his arms and raced towards the door, jogging in place as he waited for me, "Let's go! Let's go! Get a move on, woman!"

I snickered at him.

* * *

><p>I had taken the decency to change from the camisole I wore to a white V-neck tee, but it was still a bit too thin for the winter weather. I was still left in my stolen sweatpants due to the fact that Hayden refused me to do any more wasting time that I already had from switching shirts.<p>

I curled myself up in a navy armchair that was big enough to hold two people comfortably, but I made sure that no one else was able to sit with me as I leaned my back against the right arm of it and dangled my legs over the left.

The twins had made themselves comfortable on the red and golden couch next to me while Percy sat in a similar Gryffindor-themed armchair that was directly across from me. A dark-stained coffee table, which was holding our hot chocolates, stood vertically between us.

The three fledglings, though, were jovially separating the cluttered pile of unsorted gifts that were placed next to a tree that I had asked Hagrid to search for me the day before.

The tall half-giant man obviously had his questions, but he didn't ask them. He knew my spontaneous personality, so he found one that seemed fitting enough for me. It was a beautiful, fully-grown evergreen with emerald bristles and dark wood. I had taken care to mix the two tower Houses when it came to decorating it, especially due to the fact that Mason was from the Gryffindor territory despite the rest of us being Ravenclaws, but it came out to be a grand idea in the end with our increased number of Gryffindors in the room.

I felt a shiver pass through me at the chill of the cold, cursing myself for not grabbing a jumper or blanket before I left my dorm room. I quickly grabbed my warm mug, curling myself up even more as the heat sank into my palms.

"Cold, Lumen?" one of the twins asked, and, from the slight nasal tone of it, I assumed it was George who had caught me.

I looked over to see both of the identical brothers staring at me curiously, and I smiled to them, "Not at all. Just _shaking with excitement_, you know?" I even wriggled a bit in my seat for emphasis.

"Ah, you can't pull the wool over our eyes," Fred told me, raising an amused brow at me.

"Hold on," George added as I placed my mug back on the coffee table's surface and stared at him with curiosity. His gaze then flickered over to the trio of first-years, who were almost finished sorting, and called out to their younger brother, "Ron, had me that one box. You know, the one we get every year."

Apparently, the boy _did _know which one he was talking about and tossed over a thin box of crimson wrapping with golden designs swirled on it and tied down with a sparkling red ribbon tied to a perfect bow. It looked like it was about to burst from whatever was inside before George quickly tore into it to find a brown box. He pulled the lid off, revealing a handmade deep blue jumper with a yellow '_G_' knitted on the center.

"Here," he tossed it over to me, offering me a kind smile. "Mum made it, so it should keep you warm enough."

"Your mum made this?" I asked, taking the sweater in my hands and staring at it. I looked up at him, feeling guilt wash over me, "Oh, I couldn't possibly wear something so sweet..."

"She makes one for us every year," Fred told her, gesturing to it with his chin.

George added, shrugging, "For each one of us."

Percy nodded his agreement, quietly sipping from his mug.

"Are you sure...?" I continued to stare at George, who merely grinned and nodded, "Well, alright then..."

I sighed, then pulled it over my head and stood up to adjust it since it was so large. Warmth from their mother's love stitched into the jumper engulfed me within seconds, causing me to smile. The jumper was slightly smaller than the one Percy had let me use on the day of Mason's birthday, but it was still larger than myself. I couldn't help but spin around in it.

"Enjoying yourself?" Percy raised an amused brow at me.

I felt my face burn from hairline to my collarbones with embarrassment. I quickly sat down, pulling my knees to my chest and tucking my head behind them, "I'm sorry..."

"You act like you've never gotten something homemade from your mum before," Ron tilted his head at me.

"_Idiot!_" Hayden hissed at him, smacking him on the back of the head, which meant that Sapphira or Mason must have told him about my own mother.

"_Ow!_" the redheaded fledgling yelped with surprise. He glared at the young Ravenclaw while everyone else stared at them both, "What?!"

"You haven't, have you?" Harry asked, trying to be careful with his wording, when he looked over at me. There was a sense of familiarity between the two of us in that moment's connection through our gazes meeting.

"I did, once," I said quietly, "but it was burned to ashes along with a pendant that my father had given me."

The twins fell silent, staring down to the wooden floorboards beneath their feet as the eldest Weasley brother shot them a look.

"What was it?" Ron asked, obviously curious.

"It was a scarf that my mother made when she found out that I was sorted into the Ravenclaw house. You see, she was a Ravenclaw, too, and she was so happy about me being in the same house that she had knitted it for me before she went on a six-month voyage to Australia." I smiled at the memory for a moment, then I shook my head, "Anyway, my mother was always too busy with her work to come home for the holidays, so I usually spent them with Mason's family, or Sapphira's, or with my grandparents. Anyway, she always sent me a gift, just one, from wherever she was at the time, but it was always a type of souvenir."

"I see..." George's eyes flickered down for a moment. I could see the guilt in both of the twins' faces mix with understanding as to why I had been so angry with them in the past.

I quickly perked up, noticing how I was starting to dampen the Christmas cheer, and added happily, "But Gram usually sends me her famous Christmas cookies every year!"

That seemed to have earned me a smile from them.

"Presents are done!" Hayden cried happily as he and the other two boys pushed the multiple, smaller piles of gifts towards their owners.

"Alright," Fred jumped up. "We're going to open one each at a time."

"_What?_" Hayden and Ron whined, obviously upset at the sudden order.

"Oh, hush up, you two," I eyed them, to which they whimpered but settled down.

George laughed, "You two act just like parents!"

I rolled my eyes at him as Percy joined in with a light chuckle, then I smiled to the brunet fledgling, "Anyway, I think that our Mr. Potter should go first."

"Me?" his eyes widened. "I have presents?"

"Well, of course, mate!" Ron grinned from ear to ear as he and Hayden pushed a relatively small pile towards him, but it was a considerably amount.

It didn't really seem to matter, though, since Harry's green eyes sparkled with delight at the sight of them. He took a moment before picking up a cylinder-shaped one wrapped in a teal-colored paper with silver markings.

He glanced at the card that was dangling off it from a thin piece of twine and read it aloud,

"_To: Harry Potter_

_From: Felicity Lumen_

_I hope you a wonderful first Christmas with us here at Hogwarts, along with many more to come in the near future._

_Also, congratulations on becoming the new Gryffindor Seeker!_"

He looked up at me, and I could have sworn that I saw tears surfacing his eyes before he tore into the gift to reveal a silver container. Puzzled, he popped the metallic lid off it and pulled out a rolled up piece of thick paper.

When he unraveled it, he gasped.

I looked away instantly, feeling even more embarrassed than before, as I stared at my mug with a newly found interest in it. I scratched the back of my head as I spoke, "I'm sorry that it's nothing too wonderful, but I wanted to get you something anyway."

"Oh, no..." he shook his head at me, pulling the paper close to his chest. He was smiling when I looked back at him, "It's remarkable, Felicity. Truly. I love it."

"Really?" I felt a grin tug at my lips. "I'm glad."

"Well, let us see!" George cried out impatiently while Hayden and Ron were trying to peer over his shoulder at the gift.

Fred joined his brother's demands, "C'mon, we want to know, too!"

Percy merely raised a curious brow at me while he sipped away at his hot chocolate before glancing over to the famous boy.

Harry turned the paper around to reveal a highly detailed sketch of himself with his white barn owl, Hedwig or something like that, on his arm in the main courtyard of the castle. Snow was falling all around them as the bird's wings spread out, ready to take flight.

"_Wicked!_" the twins explained simultaneously.

"I never knew that you could draw, Fey," Hayden looked at me, honestly surprised by the skillful hand experience of the sketch.

I winked at him, "There's a lot of things that you don't know about me, sweetheart."

His face burned crimson, but he glared at me.

"My turn, my turn!" Ron chanted, frantically waving his hand around like a child.

I laughed at his enthusiasm, "Alright, go on then."

He pulled at random box from his pile, and I noticed that it was similarly wrapped to the one that George had opened when he was planning to let me borrow his jumper. Obviously, Ron hadn't recognized it until after he ripped the wrappings to pieces and opened the box to find a smaller jumper to the one I was wearing. It was maroon with a golden '_R_' stitched into it.

"_I hate the color maroon..._" he murmured.

I snickered at his gloomy expression as he pulled the jumper on while the twins teased him. I batted my hand at Fred, who sat closest to me, "Oh, be nice, you two, and George, you're only happy because you don't have to wear yours yet!"

George snorted at me, but there was the grin of a trickster lingering on his lips, which was oddly contagious and caused a smile of my own to stretch along my features.

"Alright, mate," Fred nodded to Hayden, who perked up at the gesture, "your turn."

"Finally!" he had a wicked grin on his face as he randomly pulled a gift from his pile, setting it on his lap. He looked at the card, then his silver eyes flickered at me, which let me know that it was the one I had gotten him.

I couldn't help but smile proudly as I watched him excitedly tear into a medium-sized box hidden beneath silver wrappings with a light blue design on it. His eyes nearly bulged out of his head after he took the top off to reveal it filled to the brim with all sorts of candies and snacks from the magic world with the exception of a single navy box sticking out amongst the goodies.

Curiously, he picked it up, pulling the lid off and grinned when he saw what was inside it. He picked the object up, showing that it was a braided, dark leather bracelet about two inches thick with a black chain wrapped around it, keeping a silver wolf pendant in the center.

Under that, he noticed two other objects in the second box. He examined it in his hands for a moment before looking up at me, "The novel I've been reading lately and a scrapbook?"

"Open it," I nodded towards the navy booklet that was designed with beautiful silver strokes.

He eagerly cracked it open, grinning once more as he found multiple pictures of our group together, along with some of the Gryffindor boys and Hermione. I could see the happy tears brimming around his eyes.

Without a moment of hesitation, he slipped the bracelet onto his wrist, ran over to me, and threw his arms around my neck in a hug. I was taken back at first, but then I wrapped my arms around him and squeezed him tightly.

"This way," I said to him, "you can always have your magical family with you, too."

He was grinning from ear to ear as he wiped the salty waters from his eyes before they could escape and race down his cheeks, "You truly are the best."

"Remember that next time you're mad at me, 'kay?" I winked at him playfully, earning a laugh from him.

"Yeah, sure," he chuckled as he seated himself next to my chair.

"_Oi_, Lumen," George's voice caught my attention again, causing my head to turn towards him just in time to see a thin box covered in silver wrappings being tossed my way. I went to catch it, but I missed. Luckily, it landed in my lap as he spoke again, "It's your turn now."

"Why's that?" I tilted my head at him.

Fred grinned at me, "We're going from youngest to eldest."

Still puzzled, I cocked my head to the other side.

This caused George to sigh before he explained further, "Your birthday is after ours."

"How exactly do you know when my birthday is?" I shot them a look.

Their expressions turned surprisingly sheepish before they eagerly gestured towards the box in my hands, attempting desperately to take the attention off of themselves for once.

I rolled my eyes at them then carefully peeled away at the wrapping paper, placing it on Hayden's head as he protested. I held the long, slender box in my hands for a moment before opening it to find a beautiful silver necklace with a single dark blue gem carved into the shape of a crescent moon for a pendant.

I felt a smile stretch along my lips as I pulled out a small piece of parchment, unfolded it, and mentally read it:

_ Merry Christmas, Felicity!_

_ Yes, I know that you told me not to get you anything expensive or too flashy, but I couldn't help it. Mum and I were shopping one day, and the moment I saw it, I knew that I had to get it for you! Oh, I just know that you'll love it._

_ I saw it in a vision._

_ Just kidding!_

_ Anyway, we wish you a very merry Christmas, and tell Hayden we wish him one, too. Mum wants too meet him soon, and she's been harassing me to tell her all about the little first-year that you've adopted._

_ She misses you a lot and wishes you the best of luck._

_ I'll see you when I get back to Hogwarts._

_ Love dearly,_

_ Your best friend,_

_ Sapphira Crane_.

I laughed at the thought of her mother constantly pestering her while she was trying to sleep or shop for the last minute gifts and my blond friend turning red with annoyance.

Hayden took the note from my hands and read over it quickly before erupting into a small fit of laughter himself. He handed it back to me, to which I placed it back in the box before I pulled out the long, thin chain.

"Want some help with that?" Fred asked, nodding to the necklace.

I was surprised at his offered, but I nodded and held it out to him, "Please?"

"I need you to do somethin' with that hair of yours for a moment," he told me as he gingerly took the necklace from me while George was clawing into a gift that Mason had gotten him, which ended up being a new helmet since apparently his previous one got destroyed somehow in during their Quidditch match back in November. I assumed that he had gotten the other twin the same gift.

I muttered a small apology to Fred before pulling my long curtain of brunette hair back and tying it with my usual black scrunchie into a small bun, which the boys stared at me in amazement as I did it, at the nape of my neck.

With ease, Fred placed the necklace over my head and latched the clasp in place. I gave the pendant a light tug, being sure that it wasn't going to pop apart randomly before I gazed at the deep sea color of the sapphire gem.

"Felicity?" Percy's voice entered my ears, causing me to pry my eyes away from lovely gift and towards his face. I tilted my head at him instead of responding, to which he replied, "Correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought that your birthstone was a peridot, not a sapphire."

"You're correct," I nodded to him as my fingers fiddled with the little pendant, giving him a little shrug of nonchalance. "My _month _birthstone is a peridot because I was born in August, but sapphire actually happens to be my _zodiac_ birthstone because I'm a Virgo." I could feel myself smiling as I looked back down at the necklace.

"It's very lovely," Percy smiled towards me as he lifted a parcel amongst his own pile of gifts, which tugged my lips upwards even further. He unwrapped the gift he had just placed on his lap, taking care to neatly take it apart, unlike the rest of them.

His brothers groaned exaggeratedly at their elder brother's slow process; they wanted him to hurry up so they could open the rest of their own presents. I agreed with them, but I kept my opinion silent and merely smiled at Percy as he barked the order for them to be patient, which they ignored completely.

"Oh, c'mon, boys," I rolled my eyes playfully at them. "Leave him alone."

"Thank you, Felicity," he nodded gratefully towards me. "At least _someone_ is respectful towards the Head boy."

"She's only sayin' that 'cause she had that crush on you, Perce," Fred grumbled, propping his elbow on his knee and dropping his chin in his palm. "It's only to get your affection."

"_Fred!_" George's jaw dropped in surprise at his brother's words as my eyes widened, a sharp pang of something shot through me.

"What?" he asked snappishly. He jerked his head in my direction, noting that I had adjusted myself to sit properly on the armchair, my gaze had fallen towards the floorboards, and my hands folded neatly in my lap.

Sapphira had always found it strange that when I became upset or was sulking over something, my body language would turn into that of a proper lady, more like a Slytherin without the mean.

His features softened instantly when I looked up at him, "Oh, man, Lumen, I'm sorr—"

"No," I held my hand up to cut him off, "you're right."

All eyes shifted over to me, especially Percy's, who paused his gift to look at me strangely. It was probably because of the conversation we had when were fetching the food for Mason's party.

Hayden had a very concerned expression twisting his features, and I could see a glint of fear in his silver eyes as he, and the others, awaited my response towards Fred's arrogant ignorance.

I rolled my shoulders back and straightened my spine, "At one point, I _did_ have a crush on Percy, and I use to act like a lovesick puppy around him, _but_, Fred, if you haven't noticed by now, I moved on the day he became involved with Penelope." I smiled bittersweetly to him, which made the redhead twin stiffen. "I've already found a _new _love interest."

"_What?_" Hayden's eyes nearly bulged and his own jaw dropped. "Who is it?"

"Not_ who_. What," I corrected. "I had decided to focus on my education instead of finding someone to be with. If a relationship happens, then it happens. I really don't have an interest in searching." I shrugged nonchalantly.

"You sound like such a Ravenclaw," Percy chuckled lightly.

"You sound like Hermione!" Ron stated.

"I think Hermione's learned a thing or two from Felicity," Harry nodded, smiling playfully.

"Well," I tilted my head from side to side, tapping my chin thoughtfully, "I_ have_ seen her in the library a lot lately."

The two fledglings grew pale at my observation, and their smiles had completely vanished from their faces when they looked at each other.

"Oh, _no,_" George groaned, tilting his head up towards the ceiling and covering his face with his hand. "You usually only take in _one _first-year, not _two!_"

"Careful, Georgie," I winked at him, "I might just try taking your sister under my wing next year!" I giggled at the joke.

His face bloomed red, whether embarrassment or anger I couldn't tell, for a moment before growing pale like the two Gryffindor first-years, "I refuse to let that happen!"

"We have to take her back home with us every break!" Fred added. "I don't want to be living with a Felicity mini-me!"

"Oh, no," Percy's eyes widened as well. He groaned, "I could only imagine how _that's_ going to end..."

I couldn't help but laugh at their hilarious reactions, falling against the back of the chair and holding my sides. After a few moments, I regained myself, "Anyway, Percy, aren't you almost done unwrapping that parcel?" I nodded to the nearly-stripped box sitting on his lap.

He looked down at it, seeming to have forgotten all about it, and hurriedly finished taking it apart carefully. He opened the box and smiled lightly as he pulled out a red jumper with a yellow '_P_' on its chest.

I looked around to find all of the Weasley boys, except George, who was grinning with pride, wearing the jumpers that their mother had made for them. Despite their complaints, they still opened that present first and each other them wore it.

It made me smile, seeing how much they truly loved their mother and seeing how much she loved them through her annual jumper. I wondered how many she had made for them so far in total.

My thoughts were pulled away from me when I heard all the boys around me burst into laughter as Hayden's face burned a brilliant red that could've rivaled a ripe tomato. I furrowed my brows for a moment until I saw a poorly handmade, dark grey jumper in his hands.

"I guess all our mums had the same idea, huh, Freddie?" George laughed, nudging his twin.

"Righto, Georgie," Fred laughed. "This is your mum's first year at makin' these, right, Howel?"

Sighing, the young Ravenclaw nodded, then a smile stretched along his lips, "Oh, well, it's the thought that counts."

"It shows how much she loves you," I told him, smiling. "She was probably working on it since you left."

"Knowing Mum, yeah, probably," he chuckled. He pulled the jumper on, which made me realize that Harry and I were the only ones that didn't receive anything handmade from our parents. His were for obvious reasons, which I didn't like to think about.

I glanced over at the brunet, looking over his features. He was smiling, making fun of how Ron looked in his jumper that was a tad too big for him, but there was a speck of sadness in his eyes.

It made my heart constrict painfully.

_Next year,_ I told myself, mentally nodding at my secret maternal insides, _I'll make something just for Harry_.

The gift opening circle continued on.

Hayden had received a broomstick from Sapphira, which he was all too eager to try out. It was something she had asked me about getting him since he was really interested in Quidditch, especially since he had seen the first game of the year. I recommended the _Cleansweep 7_, which was the one he had gotten.

He jumped up, seeming to almost vibrate with excitement before his face grew pale.

"Wait," he paused, looking towards me with a sadness ringing in his voice, "aren't first-years forbidden to own broomsticks?"

"Yes," Percy eyed me for a long moment, knowing that I had something to do with the gift, "they _are_ prohibited."

"Harry's got one," I pointed out, raising a brow at the oldest redhead. I was determined to defend my fledgling's right, knowing that he was going to defend his, and I didn't really care that he was two years older than myself. "It wouldn't be fair if he was the only one to get a broomstick, you know. The other students are already rather envious of him for making the team as a first-year, isn't that right, Harry?" I looked over to the sheepish-looking brunet, feeling a bit bad about putting him on the spot like that, but I knew what I was doing.

"Harry got his broomstick because he's on the Gryffindor Quidditch team," Percy the Prefect was speaking in that authoritative tone he got when he was doing his rounds about the school before bed, but I wasn't going to back down. "Plus, it was McGonagall, _herself_, who gave it to him. She wouldn't take well to another student having one if she finds out."

"And she _won't_ find out," I gave him a hard look as I said this. I stood up and gathered the empty mugs off the table and floor, then I made my way towards the door, pausing for a moment to look over my shoulder at Percy to say, "It's only us that knows about it, and he'll keep it in here. He'll be learning to fly from Madam Hooch and myself." I smiled sweetly with a hidden hint of devilishness to him, "Also, Percy, my dear friend, remember that I have some information about you that you'd rather not get out to the school."

His jaw dropped open, and his eyes nearly bulged out of his skull, "Are you _blackmailing_ me?!"

"Not at all!" I acted surprised towards his accusation before stretching my lips back into a smile, "I'm only saying that _my_ lips might slip open if _yours _do."

With that I left the room, but not without just catching George murmuring, "_Freddie, I think that we've become a bad influence on her..._"

"_I think you're right, Georgie_." Fred had agreed with a nod.


	18. Chapter 17

_**[George's Perspective]**_

George always knew that Felicity had a sassy side. He had seen it when he caught her talking to Snape after Potions class or he had seen it when she was amongst her two, now three, friends during dinner. His eyes caught her in the hall as she cracked jokes to her little group, causing them to roar with laughter.

He was thoroughly surprised, along with his twin and older brother, that she had used it against Percy the Prefect. He remembered when she use to scamper along his side on the way to the library during her first year and when she always sat with the Gryffindors during breakfast while waiting for Mason and her Ravenclaw friend. She had only stopped when the twins had accidentally caught her room on fire with one of their firecrackers, and she grew a hatred for the two of them since Sapphira had been injured, which he really didn't blame her too much for when he sat down and thought about it.

After she had left the room to refill their empty mugs with hot chocolate from the kitchens, George leaned over to his twin and muttered, "_Freddie, I think that we've become a bad influence on her..._"

Fred nodded, watching the doorway with a pair of wide eyes, "_I think you're right, Georgie._"

Percy shot them a dirty glare, warning them to silence themselves, which they did after flinching.

A silence flooded the room.

The three first-years looked a bit awkward as they exchanged glances amongst each other before all of them nodded and the Ravenclaw boy, Hayden, stood up with his new broomstick, "I'm just going to put this away really quick."

They all watched as he jogged toward the staircase, hurried up them, then disappear through a doorway for a moment before coming back out without his _Cleansweep 7_ in hand.

As Hayden was making his way back down to the rest of the boys, the doorway opened to reveal a familiar brunette with multiple steaming mugs of, from what he smelled, hot chocolate. They were balanced with three on each of her long arms and one on the top of her head.

George quickly jumped up and hurried over to her, "Here, let me help you out."

"Thanks, George," she offered him an appreciative smile, and he felt something flutter in him when her icy blue eyes landed on him.

He felt his own lips stretch in a smile as he took the one on her head, his hand brushing aganist her surprisingly soft hair briefly, and passed it over to Hayden, who was standing neaby. He then took one from each arm and passed them to his twin and Percy.

He watched as Felicity cautiously crouched down on her haunches, offering two mugs to Ron and Harry. Thankfully, they had taken the ones off her forearms instead of from her hands. She, still crouched, held up a warm cup to George, which he quickly took from her then helped her stand by pulling her up by her bicep.

"Jeez, my arms have warm spots now," she grumbled, rolling back her left shoulder, the one without her own mug in hand.

It was at that moment that he had realized she wasn't wearing his jumper. The sleeves were tied around her waist, looking like an invisible child was hugging her from behind.

"The kitchens are as piping hot as ever," she said, having noticed the puzzled look on George's face as he stared at the jumper. "Plus, I didn't want to get hot chocolate on it in case I spilled any."

He flinched, cheeks warming a bit from being caught.

Her brows furrowed for a moment as she moved closer to him, causing the redhead to stiffen instinctively. Her face was merely inches from his own as she peered at him. After a long moment of staring at him, she spoke, "George?"

"Y-Yes?" he stammered, feeling unsure about the spacing between them.

"Are you starting to catch a fever?" she asked, her expression etching with concern. "You're face is all red."

"That," Hayden chirped up, "or you might be radiating heat from the kitchens onto him from being so close, Fey."

That got a laugh out of her, and George was amazed with how pure it sounded. She normally tried to hide any sense of joy around him and his brother, but today seemed to be a different case. A different Felicity.

She pulled away from him, putting her fists haughtily on her hips, as she smirked, "I guess I'm just too hot to handle, huh?"

"Hot_headed,_" Fred corrected, which earned sniggers from the rest of them. "You've got a temper worse than a Hippogriff!"

She narrowed her eyes on the twin, "What'd you say, Weasle?"

"My point proven," he grinned at her, leaning back against the couch with a smirk of his own as he crossed his arms.

She snorted at him, looking like a rather upset unicorn without a horn at that very moment.

As they bickered, George quietly slipped back to his spot beside his brother, sipping on the hot chocolate. He looked down at the table's surface as he tried to ponder his reaction towards her closeness.

_It's probably because she's never acted that way around us before, let alone to me, _he justified, mentally nodding to himself without physically doing it. _That has to be it_._ Especially since she's always disliked us from the beginning, then our first year made everything go to ruins. She's probably just trying to forgive us about that fire_.

"...right, Georgie?" Fred's voice brought him away from his thoughts.

"Huh?"

"I was saying that Felicity over here looked more like a librarian than an actress," he repeated, looking at George with worry in his eyes.

"She'd be a nice-looking librarian," he said honestly when he looked over her maturing figure, earning a face-palm from his twin and a smile from the girl.

"I'm starting to like Geroge more than you, Fred," she raised an amused brow at them. She turned to Fred and winked, "Maybe I should've kissed him instead."

George could feel the heat raising in his face.

"Like I'd let a Devil like you come near my brother!" Fred barked, his own ears rivaling the color of his hair at the memory.

"It just proves that I'm one of life's many temptations," she grinned, playful flipping imaginary locks of hair over her shoulder despite her real strands being held back by her hairtie.

"Alright, enough," Percy the Prefect clapped his hands for attention, and he got exactly that. "Let's finish the gifts."

"Actually," Harry spoke up, having been quiet the longest, "I think that this is more amusing."

"All I need is some popcorn," Hayden laughed.

"Even Scabbers is awake to watch for once," Ron added, looking down at the fat rat in his lap.

George wanted to cringe at the sight of the creature, but he noticed that Felicity was looking at it oddly. Actually, it kind looked the same way that a cat would've looked at Scabbers: prey.

"Where'd you get that mangy thing?" Hayden asked, looking rather disgusted at the sight of it, and the sound of his voice seemed to have snapped Felicity out of whatever trance she was in because she shook her head then sat down and sipped her drink. "It looks like you plucked it from the sewers."

"Scabbers?" Ron furrowed his brows at the Ravenclaw boy, who nodded. "He's been in our family for twelve years now. He was originally Percy's." He nodded to the eldest Weasley boy.

"And I'm glad to be rid of that thing," Percy frowned, crossing his arms. "Useless rat. All he ever did was sleep."

"Really now?" Felicity asked, seeming a little too interested in the rat that was staring at her with gleaming, beady eyes. "That's still a pretty long lifespan for an average rat..."

George noticed that she was leaning towards Ron when her nose twitch, like an animal that caught a scent of something.

Fred must have seen it, too, because he asked, chuckling, "Stinks, doesn't he, Lumen?"

"_Definitely!_" Hayden answered instead, waving his hand under his nose as he leaned away from Ron and his rat. "I think it farted or something!"

"Gross!" Ron scowled deeply. "It just _had_ to be on my lap, too, didn't it?"

"Of course it did, Ron," Harry laughed, which became a bit contagious with the others.

Harry had gotten more gifts than he thought he would've this year, but it wasn't too much of a surprise after all of them had heard that he never really got any presents the years before. He got a Wizard's Chessboard from Percy; a roughly cut flute (seemed to have been handmade) that sounded like an owl from Hagrid; a card holding fifty-pence inside from his aunt and uncle; the blond Ravenclaw girl, Sapphira, had gotten him a pair of clothes that would fit him a bit better than the old rags that were hand-me-downs from his pig of a cousin; a box of chocolate frogs from Hermione; a fake golden snitch from Mason; from Hayden, he got a decorative wooden box for organizing his potions along with a leather-bound journal and quill. His final gift, much to everyone's surprise, was an emerald-green jumper and a box of homemade fudge from Mrs. Weasley.

"Oh, _no,_" Ron groaned while the twins sniggered, "she's made you a Weasley sweater."

"That's very nice of her," said Harry as he tried one of the fudge squares.

A look of delight spread across his face before he offered one to both of the Ravenclaws, who were now the only ones who had never tasted the baking of the mother of the Weasley boys.

George felt himself beam a little when he noticed the look on Felicity's face after she had tried one.

"Oh, Great _Godric,_ this is _delicious!_" she exclaimed happily.

"You've always had a bit of a sweet tooth, haven't you, Felicity?" Percy asked, raising an eyebrow.

"A bit?" she furrowed her brows at him, looking at the eldest Weasley as though he had gone mental. "I only _have_ sweet teeth! You've known me for how long and never shared one of these with me? My, my, my, Percy... I don't think that I can be friends with you anymore." She shook her head dramatically, obviously joking about the last part.

"Actually," Hayden chirped in, "now that I think about it, you're as bad as Sapphira sometimes. Don't you still have a huge mound of candy stashed in your room?"

"_Shhh!_" she hissed, eyes wide as they roamed around the room. "I don't want _her_ to know that!"

"Who, Sapphira?" Harry asked curiously.

"Yes!" Felicity threw her arms wildly in the air before flopping back against the chair. "I swear, even the _mention_ of it, and she'll go snooping around!"

"She's not even here, though," George told her, puzzlement etching his features.

Fred finished the question floating around them, "So, how would she even know?"

"Oh, believe me," she sighed heavily, "she'll know."

It only confused them even more as Ron dug around his pile for more gifts to unwrap.

He had gotten a box of _Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans_ from Hermione; a book from Percy that he almost immeditely put to the side; a few packets of _Belch Powder_ along with a box of _Chocolate Frogs_ from Hayden and Mason; a detailed sketch of him and Scabbers sitting in the Great Hall from Felicity. Lastly, his final parcel, was from the twins.

Fred and George looked at each other and bit their lower lips to hold in their snickering, which earned them a suspicious glance from Felicity. She actually moved away from Ron a bit in her chair.

As soon as he opened the decorative bag that had been tied with a golden ribbon, it exploded. A horrifying stench instantly turned the air into a disgusting green, and the sound of coughing instantly filled the room.

Felicity's voice rang clearly despite all that, "_Alohomora!_"

The window burst open right after the incantation was spoken and footsteps bolted towards it, having several heads sicking out towards the fresh, clean air. The twins were having a mix between laughing and coughing at the reaction.

Everyone shot them a nasty glare, which only made them laugh harder.

Once the twins' sides hurt too badly for them to laugh anymore, only able to give out a few chuckles now, and the stench of the room was aired away, Hayden unwrapped the rest of his gifts.

Percy had given up on trying to do order at this point, so everyone was just to finish their gifts and move on.

The Ravenclaw boy had received _Quidditch Through The Ages_ by Kennilworthy Whisp from Mason, a couple of joke products from the Weasleys, the book _Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them_ by Newt Scamander from Hagrid, and, funnily enough, a leather-bound journel with a bookmark decorated to mimick the full moon in the night sky with an animated wolf howling at it from Harry.

The curly-haired Ravenclaw and brunet Gryffindor looked at each other and laughed at the similar gifts that they had gotten each other.

Next was Felicity's turn.

She just sat there for a long moment, staring at the small pile of gifts on the floor next to her chair. Her hand went over the spot where her heart would be, clenching the jumper she had put back on after the Dungbomb smell had gone away.

"Is something wrong, Felicity?" George asked her, leaning a bit closer to try getting a look at her face.

"No, not at all," she replied, sounding a bit confused herself, which worried him even more than he thought it would've.

"Well," Fred perked up, "get on with it then! We want to finish our gifts before dinner!"

George shot his twin a look, which shocked the other redhead, until she laughed and nodded, "Sorry, sorry. I guess I was getting a little caught up in my thoughts, that's all."

Without another moment's hesitation, she lifted box after box to unwrap them.

From Mason, she had gotten a set of sapphire earrings that matched the necklace Sapphira had gotten her. "Gram" send her the cookies she had spoken of before, which she offered to each one of them, and Ron had commented that they tasted just as good as their Mum's baking. Harry had provided her with more scrunchies, which he proclaimed was because he overheard her say that her cat had been stealing all of them, but he had gotten a kiss on the cheek for it. She had recieve six boxes of chocolate frogs from Percy, who was grinning ear to ear when she pounced him for a hug.

Oddly enough, George had felt a bit envious when he saw both exchanges.

From her mother, she had gotten a statue of an Ukrainian Ironbelly.

"She's in Romania," she said, inspecting the grey dragon figurine and noting the red eye color.

"That's where Charlie is," Ron piped up proudly. "Didn't Mum and Dad go visit him?"

"Dad's probably having a field day with all the muggle merchandise," Fred laughed.

George chuckled, "Mum's probably pulling him away from questioning all the muggles."

"You never know," Harry added, "your parents might end up meeting with Felicity's mum."

"Oh, gosh," she laughed drily. "I can only imagine how that'll turn out. Our mothers will end up arging, I can see it."

"You've told her about the twins, haven't you?" Percy asked, raising a brow.

"No!" she raised her hands in defense quickly, earning her a look from everyone. "Honest! I just... told Gram about them, then _she _told my mother."

"Well, anyway..." Hayden decided to move the topic along, dropping a large-looking box on Felicity's lap, who gave out a surprised _oof!_ on impact, which the boy smiled happily at before he scooted back to his original seat, "open this one next! It's from me!"

She unwrapped it to find that he had gotten her a couple of books, which she smile toothily about, but what had really caught her attention was a pair of Converse high-tops that were originally black, but they had been painted on. There was a picture for each shoe. The right one had a Hogwarts castle silhouette with a starry sky painted behind it and four small students sitting in a boat on the lake; the left one had the Whomping Willow on it with a wolf, a crane, a stag, and a small white cat watching the sunset together.

"Oh, Hayden..." she whispered as she stared at the shoes. "They're beautiful..."

"You're not the only one with artistic talent, Fliss," he beamed proudly. It was only a second later that he became bashful, scratching the back of his head, "I figured that you might want something personally made this year, you know?"

She carefully placed them back in the box then got up and went over to where the Ravenclaw boy was. They all watched as she pulled him up from his spot on the floor and hugged him tightly. Her shoulders even shook a bit.

"_Oh, I love you so much, Hayden..._" she murmured quietly, but George was just able to catch it.

Hayden smiled softly, rubbing her back, "I love you, too, sis."

Fred leaned closer to his twin and whispered, "_Even though they're not blood, you can really tell that they're family, you know?_"

"_I know,_" George nodded as he watched the two of them, feeling himself smile.

"You've got one more present over here!" Ron called out suddenly, causing the two Ravenclaws to flinch in surprise.

Obviously, they had forgotten that the Gryffindors were around them.

"Great way to ruin a moment, Ron," Percy scolded, earning a sheepish smile from the youngest redhead.

"Sorry..."

"It's no problem," Felicity laughed, wiping her eyes with the sleeve of the jumper. "Sorry that I'm soaking your sweater, George."

He shrugged, "Don't worry about it."

She walked back over to her claimed spot on the chair, folding her legs like a pretzel as she pulled the last box on her lap. Her brows furrowed in confusion for a long moment.

"What's wrong?" Harry asked.

"It's from... Alistair?" she tilted her head.

Hayden looked at her, puzzled by the new name, "Who's that?"

"It's Mason's older brother," she explained.

"Mason has a brother?" the twins synchronized.

She gave both of them a _Really?_ look, "You two are on the Quidditch team with him, and you didn't know?"

They shrugged at the same time, but George wanted to know what this Alistair guy had gotten her. He didn't know why, but he pressed to himself that it was merely curiosity.

She opened the box and gasped in surprise.

"What is it?" Ron asked eagerly.

Felicity lifted a stuffed animal of what seemed to be a white cat with black rosettes on its fur, but a silver gleam hit around its neck. When she pulled it off, her eyes widened.

It was a silver bracelet with multiple little charms hanging on it.

"Hey, Fliss, isn't that a snow leopard?" Hayden asked, pointed to the stuffed animal, which she nodded confirmation of.

"He remembered..." she sounded surprised. Tears brimmed her icy eyes once again, turning them to a deep blue that rivaled the sapphires she had previously gotten, as she stared fondly at the bracelet, "_Oh,_ _Alistair..._"

George looked questionably at his twin, who shrugged with a mimicked expression on his features, while Felicity was looking over a card that was in the box as well.

"Didn't Alistair drop out last year?" Percy asked her, obviously knowing who the guy was.

"Yes, he did," she nodded, slipping the bracelet over her thin wrist. All eyes were on her as she spoke, hands folded elegantly in her lap and legs crossed at her ankles.

George noticed that she did something similar earlier when she was talking about her father, then he saw the troubled look on her face._ Did she do this every time she's upset?_

"Alistair dropped out of Hogwarts last year because their father has heart problems, and it had grown increasingly worse," she explained softly. "He ended up having to take care of their father instead. Mason was planning to drop out as well, but Alistair made him stay in school."

"What about their mother?" Ron asked, earning a warning look from Percy.

"She passed away the year before Mason enrolled," she said quietly, her hands clenching slightly. She looked up and smiled, "Every year, I send Mason home with a box of chocolate chip cookies that I made. He loves them."

"Chocolate chip cookies?" Ron asked.

"It's muggle baking," Harry informed with a nodding Hayden.

"I'll make you some one day," she smiled to the young redhead, who grinned ear to ear at the news of recieving treats in the near future. She turned her attention towards the twins and nodded to them, "Your turn."

"Huh?" they asked, furrowing their brows at her.

"Well," she swept her arm over her pile before placing the strange-looking cat on her lap, "as you can see, I'm finished with unwrapping my gifts. The rest are cards from the Quidditch team. If I'm not mistaken, wasn't it you, Fred, that wanted me to hurry up?" She raised an amused brow at them.

"Oh!" Fred flinched.

They both quickly unwrapped the rest of their piles, and they mostly got the same thing as each other, as usual.

They had gotten books on potion-making from Percy and Ron, which was the subject that they excelled in. Harry had gotten them a couple of muggle gag gifts, like something called a _Whoopee Cushion, _which had made Felicity and Hayden laugh after the brunette explained it to the twins.

Their most surprising gift, though, had been from Felicity, _herself_.

They tore apart the navy wrappings to reveal that they both had a book in had, but they had different hand-painted designs on them. George's had a bright blue sky above a brilliant green forest around two boys with red hair, which he assumed was he and his brother; Fred's was during the night on a cliff with the same two boys watching fireworks explode in the air.

George looked over to the brunette, who was running a hand through her hair and staring at the ground, "You made these?"

"Yeah," she nodded. Her cheeks were just slightly rosier than usual, but they were soon covered by a curtain of her dark brown fringe that had freed itself from her hairtie. "I didn't really know what to make for you two, so I went with my gut."

"A forest?" George asked.

Fred added, "And fireworks?"

"When I think of George, I think of the forest. He's the calmer, gentle one," she shrugged, which made the said twin's cheeks flame up. "When I think of Fred, I think of quick activity and a heated passion for something that he's interested in, or in other words, a fire."

The two stared at her for a long moment.

She got even more flustered and quickly added, "It's nothing bad, I promise! I'm awful with wording... I'm sorry."

"Well," George smiled at her, thinking that she actually looked a little cute in this shy state, "I like it, a lot actually. What about you, Freddie?"

Fred nodded, "It's really well done."

"You're not just saying that to make me feel better, are you?" she asked, eying them through her dark strands.

"_Never,_" they grinned.

"Now I _really_ can't tell if you're serious," she gave them the stink-eye, "or if you're teasing me."

"We really do like it, though," George pressed.

"Truly," Fred added.

"Alright..." she still seemed skeptical, but she waved it off. "Anyway, crack it open. There's a surprise inside it." She nodded eagerly to the books in their laps.

The twins furrowed their brows as her, "Surprise?"

"Oh, for the love of Merlin, just open the stupid things!" Hayden whined loudly. "She's been working on those two things for two months now."

"Oh, shut up!" Felicity hissed at him.

"Two months?" George's eyes went wide. _Did she really go through the trouble of personally making these for us for that long?_

Fred laughed, "Geez, Lumen, who knew that you liked us so much?"

"I don't," she said flatly, narrowing her eyes at him, then her icy orbs softened when she smiled, "but it's the holidays, so I figured I'd be nice for once... Don't make me regret it."

George, assuming that Fred was doing the same, opened the beautifully painted cover of the book to find, surprisingly, that it had a square hole carved in the middle, leaving little more than an inch of the actual pages around the border of it. In the hole, there was a small box wrapping in silver with light blue designs on it. He pulled it, with a glance towards a hopeful-looking brunette, and unwrapped it, then he popped off the lid to find a handmade bracelet with the Gryffindor colors as the theme with a small golden plate that had _George Weasley_ carved in neat cursive with red beads on either side of the plate.

He glanced towards his brother to find the same bracelet but with Fred's name written on the plate instead of his.

"You really are a crafty person, Lumen," said Fred. He slipped the bracelet over his left wrist and looked up at her, "How'd you learn to make all this?"

George lifted his head curiously to find out as well after he slid the bracelet over his own wrist. It fit snugly enough to stay on his wrist, but it was loose enough not to cut off his blood circulation.

"Well," she shrugged again, "my mother was away a lot, so I lived with Gram most of the time. She liked to keep me busy with little projects so I wouldn't be wondering where my mother was all the time, and she learned that crafts was the best thing to give me."

"You definitely have a talent for it," Percy told her, smiling. "I remember that necklace you gave me last year. It was really well-done."

She smiled at the praise despite her words seeming cold, "But you don't wear it anymore."

The eldest redhead had a certain sheepishness etch over his features at the mentioning of it, "Well, you see... um... heh..."

"Don't bother explaining to me, Percy," she raised her hand to shush him. A playful grin evolved from her smile, "It really doesn't bother me. I'm just trying to give you a hard time."

"_Don't scared me like that..._" he muttered, crossing his arms.

She sniggered at his reaction.

"I don't know about you guys," Hayden spoke suddenly, wrapping his arms around his midriff, "but I'm _starving_."

As if on cue, multiple stomachs growled their agreement toward the young Ravenclaw's words, including Felicity's. The girl's face turned almost as red as a cherry when hers growled the loudest of them all.

"I forgot to eat dinner last night," she explained sheepishly.

"How do you forget to _eat?_" Ron asked.

"Well," Harry defended, "she probably doesn't stuff her face like you do, Ron."

"I beg to differ!" Hayden protested, earning a glare from the girl. "She probably eats _twice_ his amount!"

"I was wrapping gifts!" she snapped at him.

"_Pfft!_" the boy snorted at her, something that usually came from her.

"You know," Fred stated, "the more I look at you two, the more I'm starting see a family resemblence going on."

"We're _not _related!" the two Ravenclaws shouted at the same time, sending a round of laughter to bubble out of the rest of the boys.

"You're not helping," Felicity slid an unamused glance towards Hayden, but there was still a smile on her lips.

"_I'm_ not helping?" he argued, still laughing. "_You're_ the one talking at the same time as me!"

The two continued to playfully bicker at each other, which became a rather amusing sight for the twins, especially for George.

Was that what he and his brother looked like when they would make her temper rise? Or did she usually look more murderous towards them than he'd like to admit?

He placed his bets on the latter of the two when he saw them suddenly stop their arguing, stare at each other for a moment, then burst into their own fit of laughter as if they had shared a secret joke in the short time of their silence, which they might have.

While the two had their fit, Percy had taken the liberty to unwrap the rest of his gifts, probably knowing that everyone would complain from hunger.

He had gotten, much like Ron, a gag gift from the twins, but he decided to toss it out the window before it had the chance to stink up the room again; some poor student below ended up getting the wrong end of the second Dungbomb and gave out a surprised screech. From Felicity, he had gotten a couple of books that only the two of them knew about. He had gotten a gift from Penelope, but he refused to share what it was, making everyone rather suspicious. Ron gave him a box of chocolate frogs, which George overheard him mutter something about giving them to Felicity or Penelope later.

Once all the gifts were unwrapped and settled into different piles for each person, the group left the room with Felicity seeming to unconsciously take the lead. Percy didn't even fight her for it; he just walked just behind her right shoulder, seeming like a second-best, while Hayden tailed on her left.


End file.
